Chihiro's Mistake
by NitenGale
Summary: What would have happened if Chihiro had looked back? My alternate ending to the movie and what happened thereafter. Kindly read and review. CH6 OUT!
1. Our Tail Begins

**A/N: Okay, guys, I went and edited this chapter some. Hopefully, it will be a little better and things might flow easier later for it.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Don't get any money for it.**

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Chapter 1: Our Tail Begins (no, that is not a typo)

"Will we meet again sometime?"

"I'm sure we will."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now go, and don't look back!"

Chihiro ran across the river, through the fields, slid down the hill, and saw her parents, fully clothed and fully human.

"Chihiro!" her mother called. "Where have you been? Hurry up!"

"Mom! Dad!" Chihiro yelled happily as she ran to meet them.

"You can't just run of like that," said her mom.

"You could get in some serious trouble," her dad added gruffly.

_Well, they seem fine,_ Chihiro thought, a little annoyed that they were scolding her when they were the ones who had spent their entire stay here as pigs.

Now, Chihiro had made a number of mistakes in recent days, ranging in severity from not watching her step in the filth-encrusted "big tub" to letting Kaonashi inside the bathhouse. But as she began to follow her parents to the portal between the human and spirit worlds, Chihiro made her worst blunder yet: she forgot Kohaku's warning. She turned around and looked back at the town, Aburaya, and the one person she desperately didn't want to leave.

The moment she turned completely around so that she could see Kohaku, she remembered the warning, too late. The transformation began. She got significantly larger very quickly and her clothes exploded off her body in shreds. Her own weight pushed her forward onto all fours. Her hair grew longer and sprouted anew down the length of her spine. Her skin became scaly, her body became longer and she grew a tail. In just over five seconds, the change was complete.

Terrified and shaking she looked around frantically for anyone who might have witnessed the spell take hold, praying that no one had. Her parents had already disappeared into the portal and Kohaku walking towards Aburaya. She almost let go a sigh of relief, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Chihiro almost choked. He couldn't see her like this!

Chihiro crouched as low to the ground as she could, trying to hide in the grass. In front of her, instead of soft pink flesh and fingernails, she saw scaly, four-toed claws that flexed and relaxed as she did. They reminded her of . . . something, she couldn't think what. Hadn't she seen toes like this before, up close? But how could she be so near a beast with such vicious-looking talons without being gutted?

_Oh,_ she thought.

She new what she was now, and she took advantage of her new form by taking off from the ground to find a safe place to hide from the friend she had disappointed.

Kohaku turned around as soon as his and Chihiro's hands parted. His dearest friend was leaving him. He was happy for her and he knew she would be fine, but he wasn't sure if he could stand to watch her disappear. Besides, he was eager to quit his apprenticeship with Yubaba.

He halted his steps and tentatively, fearfully, hopefully looked over his shoulder. Was Chihiro was still there? She wasn't. Kohaku hadn't expected her to be there. But as he turned back to Aburaya, he saw something in the sky out of the corner of his eye. He quickly did a double take. A dragon. It was strange though. He had thought that he was the only one in the region and dragons usually kept to their own territory. He ran after it; he was, after all, a dragon himself and it wouldn't do to make any enemies with any creatures that might help him if he came out of Aburaya bleeding after his and Yubaba's future "discussion". This new dragon was particularly fast and it almost seemed as if it were running from something, though Kohaku couldn't see any pursuer. It stopped for just a moment in midair, then dived and crashed through the roof of an abandoned restaurant, probably the only one in the entire town. Kohaku pushed his legs to go faster, partially riding the light breezes that whistled through the town, concerned for the other dragon's well being. It might have been injured!

_Where did it come from?_ he wondered as he dashed down backstreets and alleys. _Is it hurt? If it is, will I be able to help it? My healing powers aren't fully developed yet and I can't take it to Yubaba. She'd just try to turn it into a piglet or trick it into working for her. And taking it to Zeniba is out of the question; I'd be too late if it's seriously injured. What will I do?_

He forced himself to slow as he approached the restaurant, not wanting to spook the creature.

Once inside, the dragon's behavior caught him off-guard. It didn't attack and it wasn't bleeding, but it was stretched out on the ground as if in anguish and its body was shuddering violently. Kohaku quickly realized that the dragon was crying. He took a closer look at the dragon. Based in the number of toes, it appeared to be from the same general region as the one he had originally come from. This dragon was crème-colored with a dark brown mane. It was a young dragon, not yet at maturity, and it was on the small side. But the strange part was that the dragon's eyes were violet and they sparkled almost joyfully, despite the tears falling in a steady stream. Kohaku could feel the dragon's emotions radiating off of it; they were so strong. He felt its physical pain as a dull throb all over its body as well as its fear and frustration, though he had absolutely no clue why the dragon was so upset. If he was a dragon as well, communication would be easier, but two dragons in the restaurant would be too much for the building to take and, while it was unlikely, either one of them could potentially become very territorial, which would inevitably lead to violence and defeat his good intentions. Getting the dragon to change to its humanoid form would have been ideal, but it seemed to be far too distressed to try. He would just have to make do with guesses and hope that the stranger didn't decide to take his arm off.

It didn't seem to realize that he was there. Kohaku slowly, carefully, walked over to the creature and rested his hand on its head. The dragon flinched and recoiled at his touch, not out of disgust or pain, but out of fear, terror. Kohaku was even more moved to help this dragon, which, he was now absolutely certain, was a she.

Chihiro's body ached, but she didn't care. She just lay there in the abandoned building, crying at the hopelessness of her situation. Something touched her and she jumped, moving away from whatever was disturbing her. Maybe they would go away. Then, she heard an gentle voice that she did NOT want to hear right now; a voice that she had heard not long ago.

"Don't be afraid. I just want to help you."

Getting strong senses of déjà vu, Chihiro turned to see Kohaku. She wanted more than anything to throw herself at him, to hug him and be comforted by him. But she knew that she would likely crush him if she did that and she was so ashamed that she had forgotten his painfully clear instructions, so she lay her head down and let him stroke her, comforting her, until her fear and sadness and pain disappeared and she surrendered to sleep, wondering if he knew that she was really Chihiro.

Kohaku was surprised that the dragon let him touch it in his almost-human form, let alone fall asleep as he stroked it, all the while working small magics to heal bruises and dull pain, praying there wasn't any internal bleeding. That he couldn't do anything about. He suddenly realized that it was already noon and that he needed to rest if he was going to quit being Yubaba's apprentice; she wasn't going to let him go without a struggle.

Chihiro woke when it was about six o' clock in the evening and the sun was about to go down. Kohaku wasn't there. She was glad he was gone, she didn't think she could bear to face him again. It was then that she remembered why she was still in the spirit world.

_$^#^*&!_ she mentally cursed herself, for she was a dragon and dragons can't talk. She needed help, again. There had to be some way to get the spell off her so she could go home. But who would be able to help her? And who did she want to tell about her plight?

_Not Kohaku, definitely, _she thought. _Even if everyone else finds out, he can't._ She knew with every fiber of her being that he would be the very last person she would willingly tell about her transformation.

_I can't go to Rin, she literally wouldn't be able to understand me. The same goes for Bou and Kamaji. I will NEVER go to Yubaba EVER again._ Then it hit her. Chihiro once again cursed herself for not thinking of it earlier.

_Zeniba!_


	2. A Problem Dealt With

**A/N: Same thing as last chapter. Changed a few things, added a few bits.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Don't get any money for it.**

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Chapter 2: A Problem Dealt With and a Problem to Deal With

It wasn't hard to find Zeniba's house. Chihiro followed the train tracks in the air and stopped at the house that was near the sixth train stop: Swamp Bottom. The lantern in the archway over the path to the door waved enthusiastically at her as she landed in the front yard. It was as if Zeniba had been waiting for her; the door opened the moment she was firmly on the ground. Chihiro bowed low and waited to see if Zeniba had anything to say.

"Well, well, Chihiro. I didn't expect you back at all, let alone so soon. Come inside my poor girl." She didn't seem angry at all or even disappointed, as Chihiro had feared she might be.

However, Chihiro was a little puzzled. At her size, there was no way she would fit inside the cottage, but she needn't have worried. Before her eyes, the cottage grew to accommodate Chihiro, Zeniba, and Kaonashi very comfortably. As she lay down on a long cushion on the floor, quite tired from her frantic journey up to Swamp Bottom, Zeniba prepared a drink on the stove, which she shortly poured into a bowl and set in front of Chihiro.

"Now, dear, drink up and tell me what happened. I will see if I can help you."

Chihiro hesitantly drank from the bowl. When she was confidant that is didn't taste like dung or socks, she downed it all. It tasted vaguely of mint, and honey, but its strangest property was its consistency. It seemed quite watery, but as Chihiro swallowed it, it seemed to become stickier than melted taffy, covering every inch of her throat as she repeatedly swallowed to get it down.

"Thank you," said Chihiro. Then she realized that she could speak. Her surprise must have somehow shown on her draconic features.

"Don't be so surprised dear," said Zeniba with a smile. "I am, after all, a witch. Now, tell me what happened to you."

Chihiro suspected that the witch already knew, or at least suspected, how she had been changed, but she proceeded to explain with her newfound voice how she had accidentally ignored Kohaku's warning and how this was plainly the consequence of her actions. When she was through, Zeniba looked at her with the same look of compassion and sympathy as she had the previous night.

"Well, my dear, it seems you are in quite a pickle." Zeniba sipped her tea and listened for a moment to Kaonashi's spinning wheel rhythmically rotate.

"Obaa-chan, please, could you-" Zeniba raised her hand to stop Chihiro's futile pleading.

"I'm sorry dear," she said. "I can't change you back."

Chihiro's body went limp. She lay stretched out, not caring if she ever got up again.

"Not permanently at least. It goes against the rules of our world." Chihiro's ears pricked up slightly, daring to hope.

"There is one thing I can do for you, but it will be painful. I really shouldn't even consider it. In fact," she said, refilling her teacup.

"What do you have in mind Obaa-chan?" Chihiro asked, her voice firm.

"Well, child," Zeniba replied, slowly and deliberately, "I can make a potion. It would give you the ability to change form from human to dragon at will."

"However!" she said, as Chihiro looked like she wanted to dance. "However, there's a catch. You MUST, I repeat, MUST be a dragon for at least half of every day; that is, from midnight of one day to midnight of the next, you must be a dragon for twelve hours or longer. The transformations to human form will be immensely painful, though I think going back to dragon form may be easier, and you will also have no control of your form if you have come to the end of your time for the day. Would you still like to live like this?"

"How long would the potion last?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.

"Your entire life, dearie. As long as you live and that spell is on you, my magic would work as well. I'd rather you think about the things I mentioned-"

"It sounds difficult," said Chihiro, interrupting her, "but I want to do it. How long will it take to make the potion?"

Zeniba sighed in resignation. "Just over an hour. That's how much longer the voice potion will last. Make the most of your voice as a dragon while you have it, dear." And with that, Zeniba went over to her cupboard to get ingredients for her potion while Chihiro had an almost one-sided conversation with Kaonashi.

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Kohaku awoke just as the sun was setting. _No use putting it off, _he thought as he pulled on his pants and tunic, tied the sash, and walked out of his room. It was early, so Yubaba wouldn't be going down to see her customers just yet; she went down regularly for about three hours every day to get compliments and suggestions for improvements from her customers, which she took gladly in hopes of making her bathhouse even more popular. As he went up in the lift to Yubaba's office, he wondered how the dragon he had seen the previous day was doing. Those eyes. So strange. He knew he had never seen eyes like that in his life, yet, for some reason, they were familiar. As the lift reached the top floor, Haku shook his head to stop thinking about the dragon and start thinking about the matter at hand, quitting his apprenticeship with Yubaba. He took a minute to take a deep breath and prepare himself. This wasn't going to be pretty.

Kohaku knocked on the door, still a little nervous, but maintaining an emotionless face. As the door opened, he heard Yubaba's voice.

"I'm glad you came Haku. I was about to call for you."

_That can't be good,_ Kohaku thought. _There's either a new task for me to do, or some poor soul who wants a job._ By the time he had finished his musing, he was at Yubaba's office door. Yubaba was alone except for the Kashira, those annoying, bouncing, gluttonous heads who were, as always, trying to get into the store of cookies on top of the mantelpiece. Yubaba herself was examining a rather large jewel under her magnifying glass, probably payment from a rich mountain god. After a moment, she noticed him.

"Ah, Haku. There's something I need you to do. I heard that Sen took my sister's seal from you and returned it. I need you to get it back." Yubaba always was short and to the point when giving Haku orders, but this was it. Even if he didn't already know his name, even if Chihiro was still working here, this would have been the last straw. He had just had his insides twisted about by that accursed seal not two days ago, no way in hell was he going to pull a second doomed heist for the thing that had nearly killed him. He gathered up his courage and let his news fire.

"I'll go to Zeniba's alright," he said, "but I refuse to steal again. I quit!" Yubaba was visibly shell-shocked.

"You can't quit! I own your name! I own you! You can't leave! That bug I snuck inside you will kill you! You can never leave!" Yubaba said all this very fast, as if she wasn't quite sure she was right. Haku gave a very small smile and almost chuckled.

"Chihiro killed that bug," he said as Yubaba's pupils got as tiny as pinpricks. "And I remember my real name. You have absolutely no power over me Yubaba." At this, Yubaba did something that surprised even Kohaku. She didn't become infuriated and attempt to strangle, burn, or tear him apart. She simply tipped off her chair and fell unconscious. Kohaku carefully crept towards Yubaba to make sure she wasn't faking and cast a small spell to deepen her sleep while he searched for the appropriate paperwork, namely that horrendous contract with his name on it.

By bribing the Kashira with the out-of-reach sweets, Kohaku soon had his hands on the contract he had signed. There was the name Haku, written in his handwriting. But that wasn't his name and it wasn't the name he had signed.

"My name is Nigihayami Kohakunushi," he said aloud, and the contract blew up in a small puff of smoke and fire. Kohaku coughed and waved the smoke away from his face, then grinned broadly, went to the window, jumped out, and became a dragon. It had been much easier than he thought!

_Now to visit my fellow dragon,_ he thought as he flew. But when he came to the abandoned restaurant, no one was there. The only evidence that something had crashed here that day was the dragon shaped hole in the roof and the deep imprint on the floor where it had lay. There was no blood and no sign of a struggle, so Kohaku figured that the dragon had taken off by itself. He took care to memorize the dragon's scent before taking off again. It was no use hanging around; he needed to visit Zeniba and ask her advice on how to fulfill his promise to Chihiro that they would meet again soon. She had barely been gone for a day and he already missed her terribly. But as he flew to Swamp Bottom he still wondered where the other dragon was and surprised himself when he realized that he already missed the dragon, even though he didn't know anything about her.

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"Well dear," said Zeniba as she took a pot off the stove," the potion is ready. Once again, I urge you, consider the pain you will go through. The fear. Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want?" Zeniba loved Chihiro dearly and was very reluctant to let her go through this treatment for her condition.

"Yes, Obaa-chan. I'm positive. I'd rather not stay a dragon for the rest of my life and I think being able to be human at least part of the time is my best chance at breaking whatever spell is on me, if it's possible to," Chihiro said. Something she didn't add was that she wanted to try to leave the spirit world in her human form. She knew that Zeniba would discourage her from doing so and she didn't want to feel as if she were going against her Obaa-chan's whishes. Zeniba poured the potion into a bowl, but she didn't place it before Chihiro.

"Before you drink this, however, you have to promise me one thing," said Zeniba. Chihiro could feel the color in her face drain and her heart sink to replace her stomach, which seemed to have disappeared. _Of course. Obaa-chan would think this through entirely before giving the potion to me,_ she thought. Sure enough . . .

"You must swear on your life that you will not willingly attempt to cross the river barrier between this and the human world."

"Why Obaa-chan?" Chihiro almost whined in frustration.

"Because if you do, you will die."

"I don't understand."

"Child," Zeniba said patiently, "while you are under this spell, you are a hanyou, a half-breed, and no spirit, not even one who is merely half-spirit, can survive crossing the barrier without having something that gives them a tie to the human world, something to be guardian over, and you have to be born with such a tie. There is no way you can cross before becoming completely human again. Do you understand?" Zeniba's look of love was tinted with a stern aura that Chihiro had only seen when Zeniba's shikigami army was attempting to take her seal back from Kohaku. It had been only two days ago, but it seemed like an eternity.

"How long do you think it will take to break the spell," Chihiro asked, finally voicing the main question that had been bothering her. She heard her voice grow hoarse and soft; the potion was wearing off.

"I don't know dear. It might be possible, but it could just as easily be irreversible. No human has ever been in our world and had this problem before, so I doubt anyone knows whether your spell is breakable at all." Chihiro's heart sunk even lower.

Zeniba gave the tiniest of smiles. "Now, I ask you, do you truly want to follow through with this? Don't answer right away. Your boyfriend is coming and, unless I'm mistaken, you don't want to show him who you really are. Go into the shed next to the house through the back door. I will tell you when he's gone." Chihiro nodded, for her voice was now completely gone, and did as Zeniba said, moving silently through the night to the shed, which opened before her. She slipped inside just as a wind whipped around the trees that surrounded Zeniba's house, feeling slightly annoyed at her Obaa-chan for teasing her once again and saying that Kohaku was her boyfriend.


	3. Rain

**A/N: More edits. We'll get to some actual new material soon, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Don't get any money for it.**

**And now, on with the story!

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Chapter 3: Rain 

Kohaku landed gracefully in Zeniba's front yard. She was already at the door, waiting for him. She looked happy to see him, but something about her eyes told Kohaku she was worried about something. _If it concerns me,_ he thought, _she'll tell me. If it doesn't, I shouldn't pry._ He changed into his "human" form and confidently went to the door, where Zeniba greeted him.

"Why, good evening Haku. I wasn't expecting you back again so soon. Anything good happen recently?" said Zeniba as she set a steaming bowl aside on the counter and started making tea. Kohaku chuckled to himself. She would already know. She didn't need him to tell her. But he did anyway, in vivid detail, and by the time he was done, Zeniba was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"Oh, my stupid sister," Zeniba said when she finally caught her breath. "She should have known that you would break free eventually. You dragons are so independent and so stubborn! I'm surprised she had a hold on you as long as she did." She suddenly got very serious, however, and Kohaku began to worry as well. What could have her looking so grave? Kohaku found himself hoping more than anything that the bad news didn't involve him directly. But, by the way she was acting, it did.

"Kohaku," Zeniba began hesitantly, "I'm afraid there is some difficulty with your wanting to see Chihiro. You see, no spirit, bound by a spell or not, can pass through the river barrier between this and the human world without being harmed unless they have something to be guardian over. I know that you don't need me to tell you this. You are a river god, but your river is gone. The river barrier way is out of the question, but it also happens to be the only way of transportation between this and the human world. She can, god forbid, come here, but I think we both believe it would be better if she stayed in her own world. There is truly nothing you can do to see Chihiro unless she comes to you."

Zeniba's words hit Kohaku like a ton of bricks. He couldn't see Chihiro to fulfill his promise unless she came back into the spirit world, which they had worked so hard to get her out of. Kohaku's knees gave out and Kaonashi just barely managed to get a chair beneath him as he collapsed. He just sat there, eyes blank, mind running at top speed. _NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! How can this be? I promised Chihiro we'd meet again! I PROMISED! And I swore to myself that I'd keep that promise! What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do?_ Kohaku shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"What do you suggest I do, Zeniba?" asked Kohaku. He noticed that his voice sounded emotionless and flat, like the way he would always talk around Yubaba. Zeniba sighed.

"Well, one idea is that you find work with someone less greedy and ambitious. However, Aburaya has been your home for so long, you might not want to leave. Here's my suggestion: wait here for a month or two, then go back and see how Aburaya is functioning. If I'm not mistaken, my sister's business relies mainly on you in order to work smoothly. Go back looking your emotionless best when Yubaba is looking in on her customers. Casually comment on how it seems so much slower and ask why there are considerably more workers without work. Yubaba will practically beg to have you back and you should take a job, but insist that you are the manager and not her apprentice, you get to keep your name, and you are allowed to come and go at your own will. This will give you considerably more freedom and, if you want, I will help you develop your powers to a certain extent. The rest you must learn on your own. What do you think?" Her face was difficult to read, but Kohaku thought he could see the tiniest of smiles, or even a smirk. _She would certainly be a better teacher than Yubaba,_ he thought, _and I don't see any way Yubaba can control me if she doesn't steal my name and I don't eat anything she gives me. _Kohaku was still in mild shock from Zeniba's diagnosis of his situation, so he simply nodded to let her know of his choice.

"Excellent!" Zeniba said. "Now, Kohaku, will you do something for me? I promise it is not life-threatening in any way." He nodded again. _Poor boy, _Zeniba thought. "Will you kindly take a letter to the postmaster?" _This will get him out of the house for a bit, _thought Zeniba, _I hope I can take care of Chihiro by the time he gets back._ When Kohaku nodded wordlessly again, Zeniba went to her desk, wrote the distraction (which was just a little note to her nephew), and sealed it before handing the paper to a nearly unresponsive Kohaku, who simply tucked it into his shirt and left through the front door without a word, transforming as soon as he was sure he wouldn't break Zeniba's house by doing so.

* * *

Chihiro was starting to cramp from being curled up so tightly in her hiding place when Zeniba came to get her.

"The coast is clear dear. He's gone." Zeniba said as she beckoned to a now mute Chihiro, who followed her back to the cottage as the wind of Kohaku's flight died down. Once inside, Zeniba face became very grave again. "I have given Kohaku a small errand to do, and he shouldn't be back for a while yet, but all the same, we need to work quickly," she said. "Now dear, what is your decision?" Chihiro nodded her head as best she could and gestured toward the bowl on the counter in response. Zeniba sighed, obviously resigning herself to the fact that the most difficult route to solving their dilemma was the only one to take. She gave a single nod in acceptance of Chihiro's decision, wordlessly retrieved the bowl from the counter, and placed it in front of Chihiro, feeling as if she was sentencing her granddaughter to death, though she knew that no matter the pain, neither the potion nor the transformations would kill Chihiro. Even so, she was on the verge of cursing herself for even mentioning the potion to her beloved granddaughter. Kaonashi, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth, obviously extremely agitated and not liking the fact that his little friend was about to willingly cause herself pain.

Chihiro downed the potion as fast as possible, this time because the taste had to be worse than blood mixed with mud and diluted with essence of dirty underwear. All in all, it was utterly vile! However, she preferred the taste to the pain that followed immediately afterward. Her transformation to a dragon had been completely painless. Indeed, the only sensation she had been aware of was one of rapid growth. But now, it was as if every bone in her body was being crushed to splinters. Her skin was being shredded with dull knifes and her muscles were burning away as though she had been thrown into a bonfire. Her vision went red, then black. She couldn't scream, the pain was so intense. But it didn't last long. After about ten seconds, her entire body spasmed, then suddenly relaxed and the pain was gone. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the floor, which had several gouges in it, apparently from where she had clawed the floor in her pain. But she had fingers. She had smooth skin, her hair was pulled into a ponytail again, and her center of gravity was back over her legs, instead of over all four limbs.

She also didn't have a stitch on her. It seemed that that would be another difference between Haku's natural transformation and her magically induced change. She remembered how her clothes had shredded when the spell took hold and she hoped that nobody would put the pieces together.

She attempted to stand up, but her legs were gone as quickly as they had come, to be replaced by cooked ramen. Zeniba dashed to her side and picked her up of the ground with surprising strength for one who looked so old. Chihiro felt droplets of water fall on her sweat-soaked face and was shocked to find that Zeniba was crying.

"Oh, precious child! What have I done to you? Oh, I will never forgive myself for this!" It pained Chihiro even worse to see Zeniba like this and she tried to find her voice to comfort her obaa-san. At first, nothing would come, but then she managed a whisper.

"Please don't cry, obaa-chan. It was my choice. Don't blame yourself. You warned me that it would cause me pain. What is done is done." Zeniba deposited Chihiro on a futon and continued to cry, constantly uttering curses on herself for causing Chihiro pain. Chihiro, after a minute or so, managed to remind her arm muscles of how to work and reached up and gently brushed away Zeniba's tears. If anything, this only caused Zeniba even more distress and she started bawling aloud while Kaonashi tried patting her back and handing her handkerchief after handkerchief, all of which were swiftly soaked with Zeniba's tears. Chihiro would have let her cry, but Zeniba had said herself that time was short, and she needed to be gone by the time Kohaku got back, so she gently patted her grandmother's arm, and tried to speak gently, but as strongly as possible.

"Obaa-chan, we are running out of time. Kohaku will be back soon and I need somewhere to go where he won't be likely to see me very often, if at all. I don't know anything about this world, so I need you to help me, but you won't be able to help me much if you don't stop crying!" Zeniba gave a few more sniffs, blew her nose on the last of Kaonashi's hankies, and gathered her senses.

"I have already thought about where you should go dear," she said, sounding choked up, but still maintaining her composure. "The fox lord is a friend of mine and he is looking for potential kunoichi and naginata guards for his daughter, the princess Tama. It would be a good experience for you to begin training and I will make sure that Kohaku never has reason to go to the forest where they live. What do you say?" Chihiro couldn't think of another alternative and she trusted Zeniba's choice of friends, so she nodded her assent, before falling asleep, unable to resist the fatigue that was taking over her now sore muscles. Zeniba, in the meantime, wrote a letter to her friend the fox lord, Kushi, telling him of Chihiro's . . . situation . . . and asking him to help her find a way to conceal it from others. It was lucky that he didn't have anything against humans. She didn't want to wake Chihiro up, but the fastest way for Chihiro to get to Kushi's forest was, regrettably, for her to fly. She coaxed her granddaughter awake, wrapped her in a robe, and gave her instructions on how to get to her destination before handing her a bag with the letter and a set of clean clothes for when she had completed her journey.

"How do I change?" Chihiro asked. Zeniba visibly winced. She hadn't wanted to put her granddaughter through this again.

"Simply concentrate on the change itself and it will happen." Zeniba looked to be on the verge of tears again. Chihiro ran to her and buried her face in her chest, said "Sayonara, Obaa-chan," very softly, then turned and walked out the door, shedding the robe as she went and flushing a brilliant, deep red. Concentrating on the change that she had to go through, she doubled over as pain shot through every nerve. Some part of her recognized that as bad as it was, it wasn't _quite_ as bad as the change to her human form had been. But, once again, however terrible it was, it didn't last long and it didn't take much effort to catch the nearest wind blowing in the direction she wanted, away from the onsen, away from Zeniba, and away from Kohaku. As she flew, the tears returned as forcefully as before, leaking in streams that blended with the rain that started coming down as she left.

* * *

The trip to the postmaster took about an hour, not because of distance, but because Kohaku, distracted as he was, kept veering off course and would fly for several minutes at a time, before finally righting himself, only to lose his way again shortly thereafter. He couldn't help it. He was utterly devastated. It was the ultimate crime for a dragon to break a promise, be it one to rescue a loved one or simply to return a borrowed pen. A dragon _always _keeps his promises. And he had just found out that the one promise he wanted to keep above all others was the only one he couldn't fulfill. He was crushed.

It didn't help that in addition to this newfound, quite unwelcome revelation, he was extremely worried about the dragon he had seen. Every time he thought of her tears leaking onto his pants, he felt his heart wrench, much like the feeling he had had when he saw Chihiro sitting in a curled ball as she was disappearing. _Wait, why am I thinking like that?_ he wondered. _What is that feeling anyway?_ He then remembered the men talking among themselves about their wives and girlfriends and remembered several descriptions of their feelings. They seemed to match his own. _Eeeeewwwwww!_ he thought. _That's just . . . gross!_ He couldn't help missing Chihiro though. She was the only real friend he had. It started raining, no, pouring, which didn't help him stay on course. As he finally neared Zeniba's house after another hour of getting lost and finding his way, over and over again, he saw a faint, white flash in the distance, but it was gone the moment he tried to get a better look.

He transformed as soon as he touched down in Zeniba's yard and dashed inside. He liked the rain, it made him feel refreshed, but he didn't feel like basking in this rain. It didn't feel right, as if the skies were crying. What really unsettled him, though, was that Zeniba's eyes were red and there was a large heap of handkerchiefs on the floor, as if she had been crying. _What in the world could make her cry?_ he thought, for the only emotions he had seen Zeniba show were anger, concern, and contented happiness. He didn't think she was capable of crying. But whatever had unsettled her seemed to have passed and Kaonashi was busying himself with picking up the soaked cloths from the floor. She hadn't noticed him, but as he walked toward her, she looked up and her face broadened slightly into that slightly amused smile, yet her eyes didn't sparkle as they had before.

"Is something the matter, Zeniba-san?" Kohaku asked. "Is there anything I can do?"

Zeniba sighed. "Yes and no, Kohaku. There is something terribly wrong, but there is nothing that you can do." When he pressed her to tell what was on her mind, she flatly refused. "No Kohaku. It isn't something that is connected to you. At least, not directly. Please don't ask me about it again. It isn't something I wish to discuss with you."

Kohaku didn't know whether to be relieved that it wasn't a problem that concerned him this time or offended that she wouldn't share her troubles with him. He settled for nothing and instead asked for a place to sleep. Zeniba silently motioned to an unmade futon lying in a corner and he made himself comfortable, trying to fall asleep, listening to the rain. His last thought before sleep overtook him was that the pillow smelled sort of like Chihiro: it had that very slight tang of a tangerine mixed with the musky overlay of a coming storm.

* * *

Chihiro was very quickly soaked. The water rolled off her scales easily, but it also made her fur stick like wet clothes and got in her eyes, ears, and nose, making it hard to navigate. More than once an extra-powerful gust of wind threatened to blow her out of the sky, but she quickly righted herself every time. At least, for most of the trip. Right as she saw her destination, the strongest burst of air yet slammed her already fatigued and aching body directly into the trees that bordered the large fortress that was the fox lord's den, if you could call it that. She fell right out of the air and fell through the canopy of branches, getting many bruises and cuts in the process. However, she was able to get up and hobble over to the front entrance of the Den, which was, incidentally, an enormous tree, large enough to fit Aburaya quite comfortably. She then, hesitantly, transformed for the third time that night, and was once again grounded with the sensation of being torn apart and being shoved back together. But she felt it was necessary to be able to talk, as she doubted many people spoke dragon.

Chihiro pulled on the loose-fitting shirt and pants Zeniba had packed for her. The bag, it seemed, had been spelled to be waterproof, but the clothes were not.

Chihiro knocked on the front entrance, which didn't have a door handle of any sort, and stood in the pouring rain, looking for all the world like she had just climbed out of a swimming pool and waiting for someone to answer. She didn't have long to wait. Almost instantly, the door opened and a tall, female, human looking spirit with fox ears and a tail opened the door and beckoned her inside a bright entrance hall.

"What is your business here?" the fox woman asked curtly. Chihiro noticed that she was wearing clothes similar to those she had worn at Aburaya and guessed that this was a servant of rather low rank. She bowed in greeting and said, her voice trembling, "Zeniba-san has sent me to your master, the fox lord. May I see him please?" The woman nodded and said "Wait here" before going down a well lit hallway and turning a corner. Chihiro stood, shaking with cold, for what seemed like hours, though it was only a minute or so. The same woman came back with a large towel and tossed it to her saying, in the same curt voice, "Follow me".

Chihiro was led to a cozy room that was simply decorated with a few chairs, a table by a wall with a small bouquet of flowers, and a woven rug on the floor. A humanoid, middle aged male fox spirit was sitting in a wooden chair by a large, blazing fireplace, looking at what seemed to be a book of records. She smiled when she saw that his chair was specially designed with a hole in the back where his three tails protruded, so that he wouldn't have to sit on them. The fox lord looked up as he heard the door close behind Chihiro, as the woman had not stayed in the room with them. As the fox lord stood, Chihiro bowed silently, not knowing what to say.

"Why, welcome young human," he said, in a voice that was rich, deep, and fatherly. "Tell me little one, what brings you to my domain?"

Chihiro felt herself trembling again. She tried to keep her voice steady as she said, "Zeniba-san sent me to you. I have a letter she wanted me to deliver." She pulled the letter from the bag and was pleased to see that the spelled bag had kept it completely dry and legible. The fox lord readily took the folded paper from her and read through it, with a bemused smile on his lips. After a minute, he looked up, sympathy obvious in his eyes.

"Well, little one," he said, "I am sorry for your problem. While I cannot help you to rid yourself of your curse, I would be delighted to have you train to be a guard for my little Tama. I must say, she doesn't have enough friends here and it would be good for her to have someone to talk to. Your training, if you want it, will start tomorrow. You will train with the captain of the naginata guard as well as the head kunoichi for five years before you will take up a post, where you will be disguised and have the same responsibilities of a lady-in-waiting. You will have food, clothing, and lodging here as well as a salary of five gold pieces a month in exchange for your services and you are free to quit when you like. What do you think? Will you take the job?"

What did Chihiro think? This would be paradise compared to her job at Aburaya!

"Yes, my lord. Gladly"

* * *

-Words-

Kunoichi- female ninjas

Naginata- the Japanese word for halberd

**AN2: Yes, I wrote in another inconvenience for Chihiro. I need it for future story arcs. Yes, I am cutting down on Japanese words. I was over-using them before and it was kind of embarrassing. Yes, a new chapter will be out soon. Please wait just a little longer!**


	4. Five Years Later

**A/N: Right. I'm not dead. I just kinda let it fall by the wayside for a while. I am constantly surprised that people put it on their Story Alerts when the site plainly says I haven't updated in years. Anyway, I got a few notifications recently and just felt encouraged to at least TRY and finish this thing. No promises. But here it is! Ten full pages for you all! Hope you enjoy!**

**A/N2: I looked back on the past few chapters and just about died of shame. Okay, no I didn't, but they didn't quite work with where I decided to take this story, so I edited them. You might want to look back and register changes. Some are important, some not so much. I also redid some of the unnecessary Japanese words. That was just silly of me, honestly.**

**Disclaimer: If I was Miyazaki-sama, who I'm not, I'd be rich, which I'm not; I'd be well-known, which I'm not; and I'd be above borrowing other people's characters to make stories, which I'm not, to my great discontent. Put plainly, I DO NOT own "Spirited Away". Please don't sue me; lawyers scare me.**

**On with the story!**

Chapter Four: Five Years Later

Chihiro's naginata glinted and flashed in the light as she threw strike after intimidating strike at her opponent. They had been fighting for what felt like hours and both sides were tiring quickly. As Chihiro just barely blocked a slash from the opposition, her forearms began to protest. Her lungs were already screaming from the exertion. The enemy was becoming bolder in her strikes. Chihiro needed to end it, and soon. All it would take was one opening, one mistake, but this foe didn't make mistakes. Her calves were aching from having to keep on her toes. Just one little trip, that's all she needed . . .

Chihiro got her wish. Her enemy stumbled ever so slightly and lost her balance for a fraction of a second. In a last burst of speed, Chihiro shifted her grip on her naginata, simultaneously struck the challenger in the stomach with the wooden end of the weapon and swept her legs out from underneath her. She fell flat on her back, the naginata she wielded flying from her hands. Before she could get up, Chihiro stepped on her chest and brought her blade to her adversary's neck.

"Dead."

Applause erupted from the sidelines of the sparring floor as Chihiro grinned and pulled her partner to her feet. They both lifted their protective masks and grinned broadly at each other as Haruka, the chief of the naginata guard and Tsubame, the head kunoichi came rushing to the center of the arena, clapping and clearly pleased with the way the pair had done. Chihiro roughly hugged her partner, a wolf spirit with the human appearance of a young redheaded woman.

"Come on, Tsuki! You let me win, didn't you?" Chihiro was proud to have won the match, but suspicious. She had beaten dozens of opponents before, but never Tsukiko.

"Of course not! You think I would throw a match to a scrawny thing like you?" said Tsukiko, grinning broadly. "You won fair and square!"

Chihiro sighed in relief. She tried not to let it show, but this match had meant everything to her. It was her final examination of sorts, a test to prove that she was ready to act as a guard to the fox princess, her friend Tama. If she had lost, it would have been another six months of rigorous training and sparring until she was black and blue before they would allow her to try again. She hugged Tsukiko again before turning to her superiors and teachers, Haruka and Tsubame Kawaguchi. The two captains were sisters, though they had a good half a century between them. But since they were both as old as Fox-lord Kushi, they were two of the most senior members in the Den's security force, also known as Kushi's personal army. Haruka was both the younger and the bigger of the two. At six-foot-three, she stood head and shoulders over most of her subordinates. She always wore light, colorful armor that was both for ceremonial and protective purposes, and two naginata could be seen hanging from her back. Tsubame, on the other hand, was five-foot-five and was the picture of normality, almost to the point of homeliness. This had surprised Chihiro at first, who expected a ninja similar to the ones she had seen in movies. As it turned out, Tsubame's drab garb and completely ordinary appearance served to shield her from notice and suspicion, as well as conceal the fifteen throwing knives, poison blow-darts, and first-aid kit she had hidden on her person. As different as they were however, their high cheekbones, gentle wrinkles at the corners of their eyes, and long black hair pulled back into severe buns made the family resemblance quite apparent.

"Wonderfully done, Chihiro!" exclaimed Haruka. "I'm so proud of you!" Chihiro braced herself and plastered on a smile. The only time she needed such a deception was when Haruka gave her one of her bone-crushing hugs. Like now.

"You have indeed improved greatly," said Taubame with a wry smile as Chihiro massaged her bruised ribs. "Who would have guessed that the little slip of a girl we thought would be good for nothing could come so far?" It was very high praise indeed. Tsubame was uncompromising about the safety of the royal family, Tama in particular, so right from the beginning, it was her Chihiro had set out to impress.

It hadn't been easy either. Training with the Kawaguchi sisters meant sleepless nights, early mornings, shortened meals, broken bones, and bruised pride. Right from the start, neither sister had been pleased with the raw material Kushi had presented to them.

"We have plenty of young, strong, healthy recruits, Lord Kushi, many of whom are fully capable of watching over your daughter," Haruka had said.

"Why would you insult them by giving us this twig to turn into a naginata?" Tsubame had added.

Kushi had explained to them that Zeniba was a very good friend of his, and even if she hadn't been he owed her about twenty times over. It wasn't any burden to the Den to take in this one slightly-cursed human child and no, he wasn't saying that he expected her to go on duty immediately, that would be ridiculous.

"Sisters, I expect you to do everything in your power to train Chihiro until her skills meet your expectations, however long it takes, although I would be particularly pleased if it was within five years, as I already promised our new charge. And Haruka, I want Chihiro to be Tama's bodyguard because all the recruits you have right now are male. I'll put up with it for now, but Chihiro _will_ be Tama's guard eventually, and it is your job, sisters, to make sure she is capable of doing hers."

The captains had looked like they wanted to complain further, but at that point Kushi put his foot down and drove them from his office, intent on getting back to his paperwork so he could have some time for Tama later that evening. The captains, in the meantime, marched Chihiro to the quarters for the female guard members, set her up with a trainee's uniform, and immediately set to work. For weeks, all she did was run and lift weights, to build up her strength and endurance. At that point, she started sparring with the other recruits and learning stealth techniques. It was during this time that she met Tsukiko.

Tsukiko was one of the few beings living in the Den, Chihiro included, who was not a fox spirit. Her long, auburn hair set her apart from the other denizens, and so peaked Chihiro's curiosity. She was one of Tama's bodyguards and the only one that never left her post. Ever. The other guard would change every twelve hours or so in an eight-man rotation, but Tsukiko vigilantly guarded her friend and charge. Of course, she would sleep at night when a fresh guard went on duty, but no one could convince her to go on the rotation herself. Chihiro met Tsukiko when she had gone to see Lord Kushi one evening. Tama had been inside her father's office where her guards were not needed, so Tsukiko and the soldier-of-the-day were waiting outside while the pair had some quality father-daughter together time. Chihiro stood outside as well, waiting for her turn to see Lord Kushi and, as is common for a young girl of her age, she had gotten bored. Tsukiko noticed her shameless staring and had asked her about herself. The two had talked and neither one thought much of the incident at the time, but Chihiro was the only person in anyone's memory who had convinced Tsukiko to leave Tama in the hands of two rotating bodyguards for any length of time. A conversation over lunch about Chihiro's inability to keep from getting hit in her sparring rounds led Tsukiko to offer to train with her. Or rather, give Chihiro extra practice, since Tsukiko always beat her soundly. And now, Chihiro had finally succeeded in winning a round! She could barely contain her excitement!

But she had to keep it together a little while longer. They still had to complete the ceremony that would instate her as Tama's permanent bodyguard. It wasn't anything magical or mystical, although the people of the Den had their fair share of magic powers, but it was important all the same. Every security force member who was not currently on duty had gathered to watch. First, Chihiro had had to beat Tama's current guard to prove what she was capable of. She supposed this would filter out the less qualified applicants while simultaneously demonstrating the current guard's abilities. If Tsukiko lost too many times, for instance, they might have her replaced. Fortunately, Tsukiko had only lost once, just five minutes ago. Chihiro didn't have to fight the guards on the rotation today because she had already crushed them all in practice fights. It would have been redundant.

Haruka waved the crowd into silence and attention and faced Chihiro, now all business. Chihiro stood up straight with her feet shoulder-width apart, naginata in her right hand, resting on the ground, blade pointed up, her left hand behind her back. Tsukiko took a similar position next to her. Haruka drew a short, sharp, unadorned knife from her belt, walked over to stand directly in front of Chihiro, and undid the front of her sparring tunic. It might have been embarrassing if she didn't have her breast binding protecting her modesty. The thick, bandage-like cloth concealed absolutely everything, not that there was much there to begin with. Chihiro sighed. Haruka held the knife a millimeter from Chihiro's heart and shouted for the stands to hear, nearly rupturing Chihiro's eardrums as she did so.

"Chihiro Ogino! Do you swear by your life's blood that you will use all your might and strength, proven here before these witnesses, to protect the life and well-being of our beloved princess Tama?"

"I swear!" shouted Chihiro, as loud as she could. The volume paled in comparison to the captain's.

"If you should ever break your oath and bring harm to Princess Tama, what will be the consequences?"

"If I ever break my oath, may my blood and my life be forfeit." The words came easier than she thought they would. Chihiro didn't know whether to be proud or disturbed that that was the case.

Haruka's knife touched the skin of her chest. Slowly, carefully, Haruka etched a shallow "X" above Chihiro's heart. It bled freely, but the knife was sharp, so the actual cut didn't hurt that much. That would come later.

Tsubame came forward with a small jar. She dipped her finger into the pot, covering it in a shimmering dark blue paste, and held it just above the cut on Chihiro's chest. She also called out to Chihiro and the surrounding crowd. Though her shout was considerably less impressive than her sister's, it carried just as easily.

"Chihiro Ogino! Do you swear by your soul to use all your mind and spirit, proven here before these witnesses, to protect the soul and future of our beloved princess Tama?"

"I swear!" shouted Chihiro. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that this was all very heavy stuff, but she meant every word of it so it so it didn't really trouble her.

"If you should ever break your oath and bring pain to Princess Tama, what will be the consequences?"

"If I ever break my oath, may my soul and my life be forfeit." She supposed that she would be quite the example indeed if she ever _did_ break her oath. No one would ever break his word again after seeing the wrath unleashed on her. Not that she _would_ break her oath. She wouldn't. No chance in hell. But if it she did, she would be a real spectacle.

Tsubame traced her finger, covered in the mysterious blue substance, over the cut Haruka had made. The cut burned terribly, Chihiro suspected they put a great deal of salt and lemon juice in it, then itched almost as badly ad the cut closed itself up, leaving behind a dark red scar. It would fade with time, Chihiro knew (she had seen Tsukiko's before and she had to have help locating it, it was barely detectable), but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment as she received yet another mark to add to her growing collection. Her arms, legs, shoulders, and sides were riddled with the fading remnants of past matches. None had been bad, only two or three had ever needed stitches, but they served to remind her that her body, which didn't heal nearly as quickly as those of the spirits around her, had taken a beating. They were marks of failure. Failure to be strong enough, quick enough, smart enough, even if only for an instant. It really did a number on her confidence when she came away from a fight with a new cut.

At least this one was a mark of honor. The X across her heart served to display to all, until she covered up again, that she was being entrusted with the life of the heir to their realm. There wasn't a citizen of the Den who wouldn't respect her for it to some degree, though that might simply be awe that she would consent to such a mark, since it would turn on her and eat her heart from the inside if she ever went back on her word.

As soon as the X stopped bleeding, Tsukiko took Chihiro's naginata and stepped back. The sisters went to either side of her, each taking one of her hands, and raising them high into the air. The crowd erupted into cheers. Chihiro smiled broadly and under the joyous roar, whispered to herself, _I did it. I finally did it_.

She should have been happy. She _was_ happy. Mostly. It just felt like there was something missing. Something she desperately wanted. But she couldn't put her finger on it, so she put it out of her mind. Instead, she refastened her tunic and went with the crowd to celebrate for a few hours before she began her duties. She couldn't wait to tell Tama the good news!

* * *

"Well, of _course_ you passed! We all knew you would!" said Tama, rolling her eyes dramatically at her friend and smirking.

"Tsuki didn't," said Chihiro, a little peeved that her friend and mistress was making light of her efforts. The fact that Tama's human guise appeared to be about twelve made it even worse.

"Sure she did! Tsuki, you knew Chihiro would pass, didn't you?" Tama asked. Tsukiko shrugged as she helped Tama change out of her kimono and into her pajamas.

"Actually, I doubted she would. She had to fight _me_, after all. It's my job to make people fail the test, so I didn't go any easier on her than I did the other recruits." Chihiro stared at her, absently plucking the pins and sticks out of Tama's hair.

"Thanks Tsuki, I think . . ." She tried to focus on being gentle with the tender-headed princess. It really was a chore, getting the princess ready for the day in the morning and for bed at night. It wasn't like Tama made things difficult, the clothes and hairstyles required were just _complicated_. Everyone, Tama included, would have preferred for her to wear much simpler clothes on a day to day basis, but the Matron, Kushi's steward and head housekeeper, insisted that the princess look the part at all times. So the three girls chattered back and forth about the happenings of the day while Tsukiko unwound the many belts and layers and Chihiro removed flowers and combs and anything else that had been worked into her hair that morning. Chihiro hadn't been required to help before tonight, but she had made friends with the princess years ago, as per Kushi's request, and had often come up to lend Tama and Tsukiko a hand, since Tsukiko would never let anyone else get so close to the princess. There had been times when Chihiro had thought that Tsukiko was overprotective, obsessive even. But then an assassin had nearly gotten to her, just once. Somehow, he had gotten past the guards on three floors and hidden in Tama's room. The only reason he hadn't succeeded in killing her was because Tsukiko had a habit of pulling a knife on anyone that came within five feet of her charge without her consent.

"By the way, Chi," asked Tama, twirling her long black hair around her index finger, "how long have you got?"

"What time is it?" Chihiro asked, looking out the window.

"Almost nine," said Tsukiko, looking at the clock in the opposite direction.

"I got a little over fifteen minutes, then," said Chihiro with a sigh. _This_ had really been the most difficult part of her life the past couple years: restricting her active periods to no more than twelve hours. Everything other recruits could do in their sixteen- to eighteen-hour days, she had to do in eleven or less. She had taken to skipping meals during the day, instead eating immediately after she got up and right before she went to sleep. It was a real hassle, but it was necessary. As grateful as she was for Zeniba's spell to counteract the curse she was under, she was always restricted to twelve hours in her human form. No more. And her time limit for the day was getting dangerously close. It would not be good for anybody, or for Tama's floor, if she were forced to change back in Tama's room. So she was not surprised when Tsukiko practically carried her out to the balcony and demanded that she change, immediately.

"I will! I will! But Tama's not done changing yet-"

"You let _me_ worry about that right now! You need to have at least ten minutes of spare time, just in case! Change! Right now!"

_Easy for you to say_, thought Chihiro. But she was right, of course, so Chihiro shooed Tsukiko back inside and began stripping without a word. She had long left behind most of her sense of modesty. She had exploded out of her clothes enough times to not feel _too_ embarrassed when she was forced to change in public. After a month of incidents because she waited too long, she finally decided that it was far better to just let people have a brief look than to have yet another set of clothes taken out of her wages. A small blush did cross her cheeks though and she tried to get make the change happen as quickly as she could.

The pain had never lessened, not even once, but Chihiro's pain threshold had risen as a result. She could endure this; it was only for a few moments. When she looked down at her claws, she felt a small sense of pride that she had managed to not gouge trenches in the stone. She was already on the mason and carpenter's blacklists. Chihiro carefully swept her clothes into a small pile near the entrance to the balcony and stuck her head inside Tama's room. Tama was lying in her large bed covered with embroidered green blankets and looking like she had already fallen asleep, while Tsukiko was in her customary nightclothes. They consisted of loose black pants, and a long-sleeved, close-fitting black turtleneck. They were for anything _but_ sleeping. Her hair was bound into a braid that extended to the middle of her back and she was sitting cross-legged by Tama's door, carefully sharpening the blade on her naginata. Chihiro wished she could be doing the same.

It wasn't like she needed a naginata as a dragon. Her claws and teeth could disembowel, dismember, and behead her opponents even easier than a blade, but she had been trained to use a naginata, so when she was unable to wield one, she felt very vulnerable and painfully aware of the curse placed on her that made her so different. She tried to hide her discomfort, but Tsukiko noticed, somehow, and came over to sit by her for a while. She ran her hand over Chihiro's mane and whispered to her softly.

"I know it's hard. But we'll find a way to lift this spell, I'm sure. You won't have to live like this forever."

It was kind of her and Chihiro was grateful. It reminded her of that time in the garden five years ago.

"_Have some more. You'll be alright."_

She missed him so much. But she was starting to believe that she would never be free, that she would never see his face again.

* * *

Kohaku was deathly bored.

_Well, _he thought, _bored isn't really the right word._

Actually, he was stressed out and felt stretched in ten directions, but the task he had been working on, namely cataloging every soap, spice, and salt they currently had in the bathhouse, was tedious in the extreme. There wasn't anyone else he trusted to do it accurately though, and if they ran out of anything because he hadn't known to order more, it would mean trouble later.

If he was honest with himself, he really needed an assistant. A _real_ assistant. Someone who would actually help him instead of playing around or trying to take advantage of their new position of power. But he was a control-freak and he didn't fancy having to train someone to do half his work, so he suffered in silence.

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Kohaku sighed and went to answer the door before the unwelcome visitor knocked it completely off its hinges. Why couldn't he be left alone? He was busy!

"Haku-sama!" shouted the foreman, despite the fact that he was two feet from him. "You have to come, quickly! There's a customer causing a ruckus on the ground floor and none of us can handle him!"

Great. Just fantastic. Kohaku prayed that the problem customer was only bothering the staff and not the other guests, or he would have quite the mess to sort out later, the solution to which would likely involve paying out ungodly amounts of money as compensation. Kohaku sighed.

"Very well. I will see what can be done." _ARGH! Why can't the staff deal with these things on their own? _ It wasn't like he had to deal with situations like this every day, but it still happened pretty often. They had just finished the repairs from the last time (a particularly large snake woman had lost track of the youngest of her brood and had torn apart two floors before Kohaku had managed to calm her down). Not only was so much discontent among the clients a bad reflection on the business, the inability of the staff to solve such issues without going straight to the top (him) demonstrated how heavily they relied on him. He would have preferred for them to make their own decisions and only bug him when they needed something signed or ordered, but Yubaba had been such a presence in the bathhouse for so long that the staff clearly believed themselves incapable of dealing with crises. And since they believed it, it was reality. Almost all of them were nearly useless when things went wrong.

_Almost_ all of them. Rin had tamed more than a few disgruntled customers and had proven to be a very levelheaded and competent woman. Except when money was involved. Then, all bets were off.

Kohaku led the way to the elevator and down to the ground floor, where sounds of chaos greeted him before the doors had even opened.

"If you please, sir! Your request is most-"

"IT IS _NOT_ A REQUEST, IT IS AN _ORDER!" _came a very loud, but oddly high voice, accompanied by a resounding _crash_, a bright flash, and the sounds of thudding bodies, breaking glass and china, and crunching cherry wood paneling. Kohaku cursed internally. That stuff was _expensive_, dammit!

"But Perun-dono!" sobbed the little frog, desperately trying to avoid being squashed by flying tables.

_Perun?_ thought Kohaku. _The lightning god of Eastern Europe? _Perhaps this was a customer worth pacifying. The elevator doors opened and entered the massive room, taking in the wreckage and mentally tabulating the expenses this customer was costing him. The numbers climbed to astronomical heights and Kohaku promptly halted his train of thought before blocking it from his memory. At least for the time being.

Perun was not what he expected. A short brunette boy of about thirteen with a particularly bad case of acne and dressed in the customary bathhouse robe stood throwing small bolts of lightning at his attendants with a look of anger mixed with sadist glee. Kohaku found himself disgusted and infuriated by the sight. How dare this whelp abuse his subordinates? He stepped forward and everyone other than the problem customer drew back, fearful of the icy aura that surrounded the manager of the bathhouse. Perun, it seemed, was too caught up in his games to sense the potential danger.

"Valued customer, if I may ask, in what ways has our service been inferior?" asked Kohaku, his voice cold, his face stony. Perun spun on his heel, the bolt in his hand ready to be thrown. He took in Kohaku's appearance, that of a handsome young man in his late teens with shoulder-length, green hair, dressed in an embroidered black robe over a crisp white linen shirt and dark green pants. He grinned broadly and lowered his bolt.

"You are not an attendant. Am I speaking with someone competent?" he asked.

"You are speaking with the management," Kohaku replied.

"Excellent! Your employees are refusing to take my order for my dinner. It's making me most displeased indeed. I demand that you take my request!"

"Indeed, valued customer. If it is possible, we will. There is, of course, the matter of the damage that has been inflicted on this level of the bathhouse."

"That's not my responsibility! I won't pay for anything other than services rendered to me!"

Kohaku sighed internally. "Well then, what was the request my employees were having difficulty with?"

"I, the Great Ivan Perun, want a two-year-old human child for my supper! I demand it!"

Kohaku was speechless for a moment.

"Demand it, do you?" He was no longer being careful to avoid offending the offender. This was not the god Perun, as he had initially thought. This was his great-grandson. It seemed that he would be able to deal with this problem with a simple phone call.

"If you will kindly wait here without tormenting my employees, _valued customer_," said Kohaku, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I will go myself and see to taking care of your request."

Ivan smirked and strode over to the tub he had initially been brought to before disrobing and sliding into the warm, greenish water. Kohaku, in the meantime, turned and strode to the foreman's station, picked up the phone and dialed the operator.

"Yes, hello. This is Kohaku from Aburaya in Japan. Could you please connect me to the head of the Council of Eastern Europe?"

* * *

Not twenty minutes after the call had been made, a chariot pulled by an enormous goat pulled up to the entrance of the bathhouse and a burly, red-haired man with a very long beard, dressed in old hunting clothes and carrying a huge ax, disembarked. He strode up to Kohaku, who was waiting for him at the front entrance, and bowed deeply before extending his right hand. Kohaku shook it firmly and smiled with relief.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am for the hassle he's put you through," said Perun. "It's really quite embarrassing. I will, of course reimburse you for damages."

"I appreciate that, sir. Ordinarily, I'd politely refuse, but I'm afraid that's not really an option this time."

"Oh," said Perun, his bushy eyebrows knitting together. "That bad, eh?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, better deal with the brat now, before he wracks up my bill even further." Perun strode into the bathhouse and quickly located his great-grandson, who was enjoying the attentions of two female attendants who looked afraid for their lives.

"Dear ladies, your services are no longer necessary here," said Perun, and the two women scuttled off gratefully. Ivan's eyes snapped open in surprise and horror.

"Gret-grandfather?" he squeaked. "W-what are you doing here?"

"The manager called to notify me that you had flown the coop. You're still grounded from the incident in Morocco. Get your clothes on while I pay your bill."

"But-"

"NOW!" roared Perun.

The boy scrambled to get into his clothes, then turned on Kohaku, shaking with fury.

"How DARE you? You had no right! What did I ever-"

"First of all," interrupted Kohaku, "in your temper tantrum you caused more damage to the bathhouse than we've seen in the past two years combined. Second, you tried to use your family name as justification for abusing my employees. And third, you repeatedly demanded that we serve you human flesh. We do not eat human flesh here, you see. It's rather taboo for us. The ultimate taboo, in fact. It wouldn't do if we accidentally ate a relative or descendant of the human who saved this bathhouse only five years ago. Which my employees tried to tell you repeatedly. So, you see, I really had no choice in the matter. You weren't going to leave unless I made you. So I used the resources available to me to have you forcibly removed from the premises. Ah, thank you very much, Perun-dono." He accepted a check from the lightening god that had more zeros than he cared to count at the moment.

"And thank you very much for coming so quickly," he added.

"Not at all! Thank you for alerting me to his whereabouts. Come along, brat," said Perun, picking up his great-grandson by the collar and striding away, the boy protesting loudly that he didn't WANT to go back in the cave!

With Ivan Perun gone, the atmosphere in the bathhouse relaxed and the familiar sensations of cleansing and healing returned. Kohaku let himself remember the estimated costs for repairs, and was relieved to find that Perun's check covered everything, with a significant amount to spare. But the repairs were not going to happen on their own, so he called for some of the attendants to pull double-duty while the remaining staff cleaned up what they could in order to make the room as presentable as possible, under the circumstances.

Damage control handled, Kohaku trudged back to the elevator and went up to his office, dreading the piles of paperwork he would need to deal with on top of his normal duties.

* * *

As morning approached, Kohaku rubbed his temples, trying to rid himself of the headache brought on by reading many long lines of very fine print. He decided a flight was in order. Casting aside his outer robe, he went to the balcony outside his window and jumped off, transforming in mid-air. The crisp morning air whipped his mane behind him and he squinted as the first rays of dawn kissed his face. He let himself imagine small hands gripping his horns, a whispered voice in his ear, the gentle warmth of a child's body on his back. Kohaku smiled as he remembered.

He missed her. He missed her so very much. But there was no way to see her in her world and he hoped to whatever higher powers there might be that he never saw her in this world again, so as long as they were separated, she was safe.

He still hadn't given up on finding a way to fulfill his promise, if only once. To meet her again. Just once. Thus far however, Zeniba had been right and no spells or techniques would allow him to cross the barrier unharmed.

_Chihiro,_ he thought wistfully. The name alone brought back the memories as strong and vivid as the day they had happened. And, oddly enough, if brought back memories that had nothing to do with her. A cream-colored streak, flying through the blue morning before crashing painfully, sparkling purple eyes that dripped with tears. Why couldn't he forget about that dragon?

What was it that kept the two of them so firmly etched in his mind?

Kohaku tried to let his mind go blank as he darted in and out of the silvery clouds in the growing morning light. He did not succeed.

"_Will we meet again sometime?" "Promise?"_

_

* * *

_**So, yeah. Review? Comment? Anything is appreciated.**_  
_


	5. Of Picnics and Coffee

**A/N: Thanks to Cherry-Blossom-Love, Mel72000, ****XxCrazyXGirlxX-xXChihiroXx, Espeon Master Espo, keiko, Goddess of the Innocent, animefan0000012345, Crystal, and TomBoyGal, kosko153, Nightfuryxhumanlove, yugi001, Mizu, momo, and XxYukiXSnowXx-xXChihiroXx for your reviews. They all made my day. I mean that.**

**Everyone who added me to their favorite stories, authors, or alerts? I really appreciate it, I honestly do, but no one browsing the site sees the number of people who are following an author. They only see the number of reviews the story gets. Also, I find that I'm more encouraged to write when I get reviews. So please, if you have twenty seconds, please say whether or not you liked it? What you didn't like? What you think I could do better it? They help, they really do.**

**Disclaimer: Come on. Seriously? There's no way I'm Miyazaki. So there's no way the characters, names, or places are mine.**

**Alright. Here we go!**

Chapter 5: Of Picnics and Coffee

Chihiro couldn't remember the last time she had seen Tama so excited, and that was saying something. The young spirit was bounding up the grassy hill with such energy she was practically levitating. Chihiro chuckled to herself. It must have been nice to be a spirit, to stay so young so long, to be carefree about the world for several human lifetimes, even more so when you were born into privilege as Tama had. Only when you had no worries at all could one get so bubbly over a quiet picnic. Chihiro and Tsukiko were not so fortunate, as it was their job to keep Tama safe on this little excursion.

Tama had bounded out of bed that morning and rapidly recounted a dream she had had to her sleepy guards. She had had such fun in the dream that she wanted to redo it in real life. So after fighting with the Matron for half an hour over Tama's clothes (they finally managed to convince her that the very expensive purple silk kimono with gold embroidery was NOT the way to dress for a private outing) and pilfering a lunch from the kitchens, the three girls made their way to Tama's favorite picnic ground. The clearing was lush and green and tiny white flowers grew in large clusters every few feet. The weather was perfect today; the sky was a beautiful shade of blue and fluffy white clouds glided lazily across the sky. It all made Chihiro very much on edge.

The fact was that although this area was good for picnics, it was bad, very bad, for keeping royalty out of harm's way. The surrounding forest was filled with lesser spirits. They may not have been truly malicious, but their pranks had been known to occasionally go too far. It was good that Tsukiko had gone ahead to check out the area; Chihiro was certain that Tama was far too eager to begin their meal to wait for silly things like security sweeps. Scanning the clearing, Chihiro saw Tsukiko complete a circle around the clearing, then turn and make her way towards her ward and coworker. Tama grabbed Chihiro's hand and began pulling her to the middle of the clearing.

"Come on, Chi! Let's eat already!" She tugged the pack with the blanket and food from Chihiro's back and began arranging everything to her satisfaction. Chihiro smiled, her friend was such a perfectionist! She turned and met Tsukiko as she jogged to the picnic site.

"Anything?" she asked. Tsukiko shook her head.

"Nothing. At least, nothing obvious. No unusual smells, no indications of anyone having been here recently. There's honestly no reason for me to worry, but . . ." Her voice trailed off as she became lost in thought.

Chihiro would have liked to have relaxed and told herself that Tsukiko _always_ worried and that if there wasn't anything tangible to fret over then she could simply sit with Tama and enjoy their meal peacefully. However, while it was true that Tsukiko was always worried about something, she normally had cause. If Tsukiko was having a bad feeling, even if it was intuition alone, Chihiro would have to be on guard as well, if only to ensure that Tsukiko didn't overreact to whatever was setting off her alarm bells. She briefly thought about turning dragon, but dismissed it almost as soon as she had. She wanted to enjoy the picnic after all, even if she had to keep half her brain on the alert, and she wouldn't be able to have any fun at all if she had claws and was incapable of speech.

"Hey, Chi," said Tsukiko carefully.

"Yeah?" Chihiro braced herself. The last time Tsukiko was careful with her words around Chihiro, it had been to ask her . . .

"Will you please take your dragon form?"

_Oh boy,_ thought Chihiro. _Here we go._

"Is that really necessary?" she asked. "I mean, if you can't sense anything out of the ordinary-"

"That is exactly the reason why it's necessary!" hissed Tsukiko, trying not to alert Tama to their conversation. She needn't have worried, the princess was blissfully folding napkins into birds and butterflies and hadn't given a thought to her own safety all day. "If I can't figure out what it is that's not right, I want to be prepared for anything! Please, don't make me order you to!" she pleaded.

"What about Tama?" asked Chihiro. "Won't she suspect something's off if I change?"

"Actually, I think she'd be thrilled. You know how much she likes your other form." Chihiro did know. It almost hurt, how much Tama liked Chihiro as a dragon. She loved to braid her mane, slide down her tail, swing from her horns, but most of all, she loved to ride her. Which was good, because Chihiro was their main plan if escape ever became necessary. All three girls hoped that a day like that would never come. All three knew that that day was inevitable.

"Please, Chi," Tsukiko tried again. "Maybe if you're a dragon, anything that might want to try something will be scared off." Chihiro still didn't like it.

"Our job is to protect Tama while remaining inconspicuous! I can hardly do that when I'm twenty feet long!"

"Keeping her safe takes priority over keeping our own camouflage. If I can prevent an incident from happening, I would prefer to be a little intimidating. Or rather, I would like _you_ to be intimidating. You can do it so much better than I can." Chihiro was not convinced. Tsukiko's real form, her non-humanoid form, was an enormous auburn wolf, easily six feet tall when on all fours. One glance proclaimed her as a formidable opponent. No, Chihiro knew that Tsukiko wanted her to be a dragon in case they had to make a getaway. She sighed and nodded. Tsukiko relaxed slightly and turned to Tama to distract her while Chihiro got herself ready to change.

It was more complicated to do this away from the Den. There, she could simply sweep her belongings into a corner and deal with them when she had opposable thumbs. Here, since she was preparing for a possible flight, she had to pack everything away beforehand. She unstrapped her hidden knives from her ankles and wrists, then stripped off her tunic and pants and half-folded them. She then took off her undergarments, laid them and her blades on the rest of her clothes, and rolled everything into a neat bundle. She put that inside the discarded picnic pack and stood back from the site so she didn't upset Tama's setup.

As the pain faded, Chihiro wondered why she ever let herself be talked into changing in the middle of the day. _Because I have no spine,_ she thought to herself. She heaved a great, long-suffering sigh and walked over to the picnic site. She lay down in a half-circle, placing herself as a shield behind Tama's back. She tasted the air, looking for unfamiliar scents. Nothing.

_Honestly, I have no idea what Tsuki was so worried about, _she thought.

Tama was thrilled that Chihiro had chosen to be a reptilian quadruped for the occasion, and after playing a game of catch (Tama threw Chihiro's lunch and Chihiro caught it in her mouth), she took great pleasure in utilizing her body as a jungle gym. As Chihiro swung Tama back and forth, clinging to her tail, she turned to Tsukiko, sitting cross-legged on the blanket, and gave her a _look_. And it was such a pointed _look_ that Tsukiko could no more feign incomprehension than she could walk to the moon.

"Yeah, I know. I would be annoyed by it too. But isn't it kind of your duty as her friend to make her happy?" Chihiro's _look_ changed slightly from "this is NOT how I wanted to spend the morning" to "I don't see YOU offering up your other form to be a playground". Tsukiko winced and looked guilty for a second. Then she squared her shoulders and sat up straighter, visibly putting aside her discomfort with her friend's irritation in favor of the certainty that came from the clear-cut role of leadership and protection she filled on a daily basis.

"You can protect Tama just as well like that, maybe even better. But if that's not important to you, think of it this way," she said sternly. "You'll have extra time to be yourself this evening."

Chihiro winced at the blow to her pride and turned her attention back to Tama, who was now climbing up her back, intent on reaching her head and the horns that rested there. They made such great monkey bars!

Tama wore herself out eventually, and as the sun reached its zenith and proceeded on its downward trek, both she and Tsukiko lay down on the blanket and slept. Tsukiko never got enough rest at night and it was not uncommon for her to nap when Tama was resting and Chihiro could easily watch over the two of them. She never slept easily though, and Chihiro sighed sympathetically as she watched Tsukiko toss and turn, even while Tama slept peacefully. Actually, Tama slept so deeply, Chihiro suspected a tornado wouldn't wake her.

As for herself, Chihiro was starting to feel the effects of entertaining Tama. Her body felt heavy and her eyelids drooped fractionally lower with every passing minute. It didn't help that the afternoon sun was warm and the air seemed to settle like a light blanket around her, inducing a day-dreaming stupor that enticed her into shutting her own eyes. Why was she being so vigilant, anyway? It wasn't likely that anyone would attack. How many people, even in the Den, knew that they were here today? Only the Matron, Kushi, and the guards they passed on the way out. Surely it wouldn't hurt to rest her eyes, just for a little while? No one would know. Tsukiko wouldn't be waking up for some time. And even if she did, would she really be angry with her?

Chihiro's eyes snapped open, her mind now completely alert. Of _course_ Tsukiko would be angry. She had been entrusted to keep both her friends safe and sleeping would mean blatant disregard for their safety, as well as Tsukiko's evasive trust. Chihiro would _never_ think that Tsukiko wouldn't be angry if she left them all defenseless, so she knew immediately that the little tempting voice in her head had a source other than her own consciousness. Her eyes darted from one tree to the next in a circle about their picnic, looking for any signs of movement. Her ears twitched in every direction, straining to pick up any sound that could explain the intrusion into her mind. She tasted and smelled the air. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact . . .

Chihiro checked and rechecked what her senses had told her and came up with the same results. Nothing. No only no threat, there was not a single spirit for several miles. That was just not normal.

_What could chase away any and all life forms in the entire area? _she wondered. It didn't make any sense. But then her brain supplied another answer. _Suppose I'm just being blocked from sensing what's there?_ Now _that_ was disturbing. Overkill perhaps, magically preventing her from sensing anything at all, but disturbing nonetheless. How could she defend against what she couldn't see or hear? What would Tsukiko do?

Chihiro sighed to herself. She knew _exactly_ what Tsukiko would do: she'd get the three of them to safety, immediately. And Chihiro knew that she was expected to do the same. Safety first, always, no exceptions. She didn't really want either girl to worry though, so she decided to gather their belongings and garbage up as best she could and fly off carrying everything and her friends in her front paws. But Murphy's Law, a constant presence in Chihiro's life, decided to make itself known at that point and Chihiro quite suddenly found herself completely blind. It wasn't painful, but the pitch-blackness scared her and for half a second, she couldn't move. She could still hear though, so by listening for the thrashings and mutterings from Tsukiko's sleeping figure, she located the guard and attempted to gently wake her. She was not successful; Tsukiko jumped violently and had her favorite knife halfway out of its sheath before realizing that the dragon-face blowing hot breaths on her was not going to harm her or Tama.

"Chi, what is it? Is something wrong?" Chihiro nodded and tried to point at her eyes with a front paw. She nearly poked them out with her claws, but Tsukiko got the message anyway.

"Something's wrong with your eyes? Let me see!" Chihiro opened her eyes as wide as they would go. Unseen, Tsukiko waved a hand in front of her eyes, up and down, left and right. Neither eye reacted in any way. Her pupils didn't even dilate or contract. Tsukiko gently touched Chihiro's chin so as not to spook her and turned her head to the left and to the right. As the pupils caught the light, Tsukiko thought there was something strange about them. All eyes were reflective, but Chihiro's were like mirrors.

_Which must be the reason!_ she thought. Chihiro eyes seemed to have spontaneously decided to reject and reflect all light that hit them, rather than receiving it. With no light hitting her retinas, Chihiro's eyes didn't have a picture to send to her brain. They needed to find whoever was in control of the spell on Chihiro, or else they were in real trouble. She was their escape transportation after all; she couldn't fly Tama or Tsukiko away if she couldn't see which way was up. Tsukiko ran through the very long list of possible enemies in her head, trying to decide which was the most likely culprit. _Spells for concealment and dulling opponents' senses . . . doesn't feel like a fox spirit, they would change forms rather than hide . . . somewhat powerful, but not very refined . . . who are you?_ Most large predators were erased from the list immediately. Aviary raptors followed close behind, along with flocking birds and herding beasts. Whatever it was, it was solitary and conniving, using traps to snare its prey rather than attacking outright. That said, it was probably very small, likely an insect. _Or,_ she thought, _something close to an insect._ She glanced around the clearing again, this time looking for one object in particular. She found it clinging to two tree branches, glinting like silver thread in the afternoon sun.

A spider web. Not a very small one, but nothing gigantic either. A simple but elegant orb web that would likely be torn down and redone the next day. Perhaps she would be able to handle the situation without violence. And if not, she could very easily squish the small opponent. Still, no reason to make more enemies today. The spider had not tried to cause bodily harm so far; it was probably just scared and had lashed out instinctively. She felt sure she could make it see reason. She approached the web and cleared her throat to get the arachnid's attention.

The spider twitched and for a second, Tsukiko could smell and hear all the nearby spirits whose presence she had been made to overlook. Then the spider stilled again and the sensations disappeared. Tsukiko became even more on edge now that she knew that her senses were being dampened. This stunk of pre-planning, traps, and cooperation. At least the caster lacked focus and control, which could work to their advantage. Now that she was up close, she could see the markings on the spider and the web that identified her (she was too large to be male) as _Argipoe appensa_, a banana spider. She was awfully far from home. Tsukiko hadn't known that there was any of her kind any further north than Taiwan.

"You seem to have a spell on my companion," she said very carefully, keeping all tones of malice or aggression out of her face and voice. It was not easy at all. The spider scuttled slightly forward, then back to her original place, which Tsukiko knew from experience to be the spider's version of an affirmative nod.

"Indeed," said the spider in a very small but very clear voice. She was young too, barely into maturity.

"I would appreciate it if you let her go now," Tsukiko said firmly. The spider let out a little laugh.

"Heh. No, I don't think I will. You see, I need the small one to stay here and if I let your dragon go, you'll all go away."

"Oh, come now. You're barely holding onto the spells you have going to kill our senses of smell and hearing, why don't you stop the mirror spell? Focus your energy in one direction instead of two?"

"No, no," the spider said, scuttling from left to right and back again. "I mustn't, no! The princess is wanted! The princess is needed! I can't let anyone go! No!" Tsukiko thought she seemed very distressed, though she wasn't sure whether that was because the plot she was participating didn't sit well with her or because her control was slipping. Slight scents and tiny sounds were making their way to her ears, but not enough for her to fully reevaluate her surroundings. She could only just make out the smells of some kind of dog and a flock of birds, but how many? And what kind?

This called for some carefully applied distraction.

"This really is a beautiful web," she said, leaning in close and pretending to examine the glistening strands. "You are very talented. How _do _you and your kind make something as complicated as this on a daily basis for your entire lives?" The spider went still, caught off-guard, and Tsukiko smelled the air again. Not dogs, but- argh, it slipped away.

"Do you really like it?" said the spider, tentatively. "Most everyone else just knocks them down, sometimes even before they're finished." She rubbed her front legs together self-consciously.

"Oh yes," Tsukiko cheerfully lied. "I can't remember seeing anything more exquisite." She briefly wondered if she was maybe laying it on too thick, but the spider was exuding pure joy in waves and didn't seem to think anything ill of the compliments. She started telling Tsukiko all about the techniques she had learned from her mother that she in turn had learned from _her_ mother, and so on.

The smells and sounds around Tsukiko were still dull and dampened, but she could sense the scope of them now, and had she been a green recruit it would have terrified her. After all, she was supposed to protect the princess from assassins and kidnappers, not two full-fledged armies; that was the rest of the Den's job.

The threats weren't far, but she reasoned that she, Chihiro, and Tama still had about twenty minutes in which to make themselves scarce. But in order to do that, the spider had to be persuaded into undoing her magic. Or at least lulled into a state of utter distraction so that the magic would undo itself. Or there was one other option.

It almost felt dirty, like cheating, but the more Tsukiko thought about it, the more sense it made. After all, coercion and manipulation were things you did when you had time, when it was all you had. Currently, she and her companions didn't have any time at all. There was nothing for it. She hoped that the spider's current demonstration of her magical abilities wasn't limited to the spells she was performing. If she was any good at holding grudges, Tsukiko knew she would be in a great deal of trouble. But she would deal with that later.

Without warning, right in the middle of the spider's description of the finer points of creating the frames for her webs, Tsukiko knocked the web down. The spider went flying and Tsukiko could both feel and hear her cries of hurt and outrage. At the same time, two things happened: Tsukiko's hearing and sense of smell returned in full force, and she found herself lifted into the air and away from the picnic site. She twisted around to find herself clutched in Chihiro's tail, a position that she knew was as uncomfortable for Chihiro as it was for her. Without the use of her tail, Chihiro's ability to fly and maneuver was hindered, so it didn't really surprise her when Chihiro tossed her a good forty feet in the air before catching her on her back. However, it didn't make the impromptu flight any less terrifying, nor the landing any less painful. She wrapped her arms around Chihiro's neck to prevent any more unscheduled takeoffs and searched around for what Chihiro had done with Tama.

Looking straight down, Tsukiko saw her hanging in a makeshift hammock made out of the picnic blanket. Chihiro had piled their belongings around her and was holding the two sides of the blanket in her front claws. She was not at all surprised to see that Tama was still conspicuously unconscious.

"Good work, Chi," she said directly in Chihiro's ear, resisting the urge to yell over the wind rushing in her own. Chihiro hummed in appreciation, but did not slow down or turn back.

_And a good thing, too,_ thought Tsukiko, _seeing as we've got the hordes of both the hyenas and the crows hot on our tail._

* * *

"My answer is still NO! Absolutely not!"

"Your position in this matter is, frankly, not any of my concern. I am not asking for your opinion or for your permission. I am telling you the way things are going to be. There will be no negotiations on the subject."

"I OWN this bathhouse, dammit!"

"Indeed, and what a remarkable businesswoman you are. You might be the only being in this world capable of giving the appearance of prosperity while simultaneously having nothing but bills to fill your safes with. Seriously Yubaba, your business sense makes that of the heads of half the major corporations in the human world look genius. We both know the only reason you haven't gone under yet is because _I_ took over managing duties, so if you don't mind, and even if you do really, _I _will be making any and all decisions that have to do with spending money." Kohaku was actually very tired of having this conversation every month. It was always the same format; the only thing that changed was the nature of the object or service that he was going to be buying. And today's just happened to be the labor force he had recently employed to fix the rather glaring damage to the lower levels of the bathhouse. Honestly, he couldn't understand what she had against them, and honestly, he didn't really care. At all.

"I am NOT having insects in my bathhouse!"

"You have no problem with servicing them."

"Yes, but they _pay _for that!"

"And now you are paying them for a service they are rendering to you. Where is the problem?"

"Oh, for the love of- they're TERMITES, Haku!"

"Indeed. They are quick, efficient, hard working, and fair in their pricing. They're quite an enjoyable bunch, really."

"I eat termites for _breakfast_!"

"What, literally?"

"YES!"

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from indulging while the repairs are commencing. In fact," Kohaku just barely kept a smug grin off his face, "why don't you take a nice, extended holiday? I can look after things here, and you've been looking more and more exhausted every day . . ." He trailed off and let the bait dangle in front of her, tantalizing and so very desired.

Yubaba silently cursed the lizard. What wouldn't she give for some time away from the constant aggravation that was the dragon that had somehow taken over her business? And he knew it! But what else could she do? He had woven his way into every aspect of the bathhouse to the point where it would mean the immediate death of the business to fire him. And now, Aburaya didn't need her anymore. She sighed, defeated. At least most of the money he was bringing in still went to her. She was still the owner. She would just go to her summer vacation home a bit early this year. And maybe stay a couple weeks longer. Or months.

"Very well, Haku. I will. But I will be back very soon to reclaim my business! Just you wait!" And with that, she gathered her cloak about her shoulders, made her way to the window, and flew out to the horizon.

Kohaku chuckled to himself. Every year, without fail, they had the same argument about how he ran the bathhouse, always resulting in Yubaba taking an extended leave of absence. Every year, she vowed to reinstate herself as the highest authority figure. Every year, he thwarted her. The argument itself was a pain, having to constantly defend his methods against her twisted logic, but it was really quite fun to see her get all riled up and frustrated, and there was the added bonus of not having to deal with her whining for a good five months.

The clock on the mantelpiece chimed six. Six in the evening. Yubaba had kept him up all day with her complaints. He stood and stretched, the exhaustion finally hitting him. He needed his rest, today was sure to be another busy day, but he knew that if he slept now, he would not wake up for at least eight hours, and that was unacceptable. He would just have to keep himself busy and try to complete all his tasks early. A big cup of coffee was in order. And maybe some extra stimulants.

He made his way to the kitchens and found the kettle they normally used for boiling water for tea. While waiting for the water to heat, he located his favorite coffee and his French press. He poured the grounds and water into the press and took the whole thing downstairs to the boiler-room. Perhaps Kamaji would want a cup. And perhaps he would be able to whip up something strong to keep Kohaku going for the next twelve hours.

Kamaji rose earlier than any worker in Aburaya, Kohaku included. He had to prepare the boiler every evening so that the baths would be ready to service customers the moment the sun set. When he started out as the manager, Kohaku frequently felt bad for him and often offered to hire another spirit to help with the process, but however much the spirit grumbled, he always turned down help. After a while, Kohaku had realized that Kamaji liked his job and disliked change, so he simply told Kamaji that there would be help if he ever needed it and let the matter drop. He was fond of the old spirit and very grateful for his assistance all those years ago. Five years later and he still felt that he hadn't repaid his debt.

_That's probably because I keep doing stuff like this,_ Kohaku thought to himself as he opened the sliding door to Kamaji's lair. Kamaji was a frequent confidant and pharmacist, never turning Kohaku down when he needed medicine or an ear to listen. Kohaku tried to return the favor whenever he could, but the Kamaji wasn't a very selfish spirit and Kohaku found he had to be creative in finding ways to get Kamaji to accept the hours off, better food, and higher pay Kohaku was always sending his way. It was almost more trouble than it was worth to be generous to the old guy. But Kohaku didn't mind, not really. It somehow always made him feel a little better, being kind to his old friend. Less empty. Less disconnected.

Kamaji completely ignored the sound of the sliding door. A constant stream of susuwatari carried coal to the boiler while he pulled levers and watched dials, inching the fire in the boiler closer to the ideal temperature. Kohaku smiled. The spirit looked insanely busy to the untrained eye, but Kohaku knew it was just a show to ward off unwelcome visitors, namely anyone who wasn't Kohaku or Rin.

"Good evening, Kamaji," Kohaku called above the roar of the machinery. Kamaji turned to him, not quite surprised to see him.

"Good evening, Kohaku. You're up rather early."

"No, sir. I'm afraid I'm up rather late."

"Are you, now? Is that the reason for the coffee then?"

"Indeed. Would you care for some?"

"I have a feeling you need it a good deal more than I do. And I bet you'll be wanting something to help it along, am I right?" Kamaji handed him a mug from on top of his desk.

"Yes, please, if you could. I'm not particularly looking forward to today, even with the caffeine. Whatever you can give me to make this easier would be appreciated."

"You know," said Kamaji as he rifled through drawers for the ingredients needed to whip up his little cocktail, "the best thing you can do right now would be to get a few hours of sleep."

"You know I can't do that, not now. I would have to wake up in less than an hour, and right now, I don't have the self-discipline to sleep for any less than seven. The only thing for it is to stay up until closing time." Kohaku filtered the coffee and poured himself a black, steaming mug. He blew across the surface and sipped it carefully, downing the entire mug when he was sure he wouldn't burn his mouth.

"Rin could run things tonight," said Kamaji as he crushed his various herbs and spices with a mortar and pestle.

"Rin can run the front services on the main floor, but not much else, and certainly not all night. And nobody other than me can do the paperwork and financial stuff; I haven't taught anybody how." He reveled in the bitter taste and smell of the coffee and felt the exhaustion diminish ever so slightly.

"You _do _see the real problem here, right?" said Kamaji, dumping the powder he had prepared into a cup of water and stirring it so that the powder was suspended in the liquid. He handed the concoction to Kohaku, who drained it as quickly as possible, trying and failing to not gag. It didn't matter what it was, what it did, or how effective it was, all of Kamaji's medicines tasted vile. He was sure that it was because Kamaji didn't _only _use plants. There was a very good reason for why he never paid attention to what Kamaji put in his compounds: he knew what ingredients Kamaji had access to and sometimes it was better to not know what you were putting in your mouth. He poured another mug of coffee and downed half of it in an attempt to wash away the taste and in the process completely forgot that Kamaji had asked him a question.

"Kohaku?"

"Eh? What were you saying?" He felt a little green.

"I was saying, don't you see the problem here?"

"Problem? I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about." Of course he did, but he was a good liar.

"Yes you do."

Okay, so maybe he wasn't as great a liar as he believed.

"You need help," said Kamaji, gently.

"Excuse me! I'm fine! I don't need any doctors or-"

"Actually," Kamaji interrupted, "I meant that you need help running the bathhouse. You're stretching yourself too thin. Train someone as an assistant already! You carry on like this and you really will need a doctor."

"I don't need anyone," Kohaku mumbled.

"Yes, you do. You really do. And you don't just need an assistant, am I right? That's why you're working yourself to death. You miss her." Kohaku winced. Did he have to bring her up now?

"Alright, yes I do. But I can't very well go and get her, can I?"

"No, but she wouldn't be happy to see you like this. It's like you're trying to punish yourself for something that was completely out of your control. You won't ever see her again, and that hurts, I know, but that would have happened eventually anyway. They wither so quickly after all. Even now, thousands are dying. They're so delicate, she might already be gone. You have to move on."

Kamaji's words hurt. Kohaku felt them lodge themselves in his heart and tear at his chest. He knew the old spirit was right, that he was just trying to help, but the thought of Chihiro dead, dying, aging, it was too much to bear. He heard a drip and looked down in time to see ripples in his coffee. He sipped it and tasted the smallest hint of salt. Hot lines traced down his cheeks. He didn't bother to try and stop them. His breath hitched and shook, wrenching its way out his throat.

Kamaji handed the young man a handkerchief. Kohaku didn't acknowledge it.

_You have to move on._

Kohaku stood, drained the rest of his coffee, straightened out his robes, and wiped the tears from his eyes, ready to start the night. He strode to the door, holding his head high.

_Give her up? Move on? Act as if she's dead?_ he thought to himself.

_Screw that!_

_

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**Hope you enjoyed! I've got a few polls on my profile that I'd really like some feedback on, so if you've got a bit, could you vote? That and leave a review or comment on how I did for this chapter? Thanks everyone!**


	6. Sleeping, Waking, and Flying

**A/N: Many thanks to helikesitheymikey, Mel72000, ChLeReK4ever, momo, Mikki, Rainfire of Riverclan, Russet W., Madame Rain, Azetta, kiri123, ComfortablyConfused, FrozenBloom, -Arashi-Storm-Guardian-, Taeniaea, and Cherry-Blossom-Love for your reviews. They are an excellent reminder that there are people who want to know how the story ends, a concept that I am familiar with and yet still find baffling now that it's being applied to my own creation. They are my inspiration and my guilt trip. You out there, you reading this, I write this for YOU! Thank you for your patience!  
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**Allons-y!**

***WARNING: Here there be graphic violence! Do not read if it does not suit your tastes!***

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Chapter 6

Sleeping, Waking, and Flying

Chihiro sped through the air, throwing herself from one air current to another trying desperately to put as much distance between herself and her companions and the two encroaching armies as possible. It wasn't that far to the Den, but she needed to allow the guards to fortify the defenses after they arrived and currently the on-duty squads would have approximately five minutes. She could hear the general cacophony of cawing and laughing from the amassed hordes and imagined being clawed out of the sky and ripped to ribbons by hundreds of teeth, her bones pecked clean. And she saw the same end befalling her companions as clear in her mind as if it had already happened. The horror it stirred in her fed her panic and she threw strength she didn't know she had into her near-crazed flight.

On her back, Tsukiko was trying to make her body as aerodynamic as possible and not really succeeding. Chihiro's body was built to fly in this form and any added accessories or riders threw everything off. Not much, but Tsukiko would have paid a king's ransom for all those milliseconds they were loosing. Tama swung below her, simultaneously being the perfect passenger and the least streamlined thing Chihiro was carrying. Tsukiko despaired that the young girl they were supposed to be protecting was unwittingly making their jobs more difficult. She cursed her powerlessness and racked her brain for an unforthcoming answer to their troubles. Before too long, she resigned herself to clinging to Chihiro's back as low and tight as possible and praying to the powers that be for a miracle.

After what seemed like ages, Tsukiko finally saw the Den among the other enormous trees. Chihiro let out a deafening roar that both announced their approach and warned of the danger close behind. Instantly, Tsukiko could hear the Den buzz with activity as guards manned their battle stations and civilians retreated to the trunk and roots of the tree for safety. The horns sounded the alarm and the drums beat out their call to war. The tremendous door at the base of the stronghold cracked open and Chihiro hurtled toward it at impossible speeds, all fear of crashing smothered by the urge to escape. As they approached, it seemed that there would not be enough time or room for Chihiro to make it through. But the guards opening the doors put all their strength into an almighty heave, increasing the gap just enough for the three girls to glide in to safety. As soon as Chihiro's tail was clear, they shut the doors again, barring and reinforcing the main entrance against their unwanted visitors.

The hall was big, but it was not quite big enough for Chihiro to fly in. As soon as she was clear of the doors, she tried to slow down enough to drop Tama safely to the ground. She managed to fly low enough to allow a group of four guards to catch Tama and their supplies, but she couldn't decelerate enough to land. Knowing crashing was inevitable, she concentrated on twisting her body so that Tsukiko would be protected from the impact before she smashed into the far wall. She stuck there for a second, body vertical, head turned to the left, limbs splayed out to the sides and belly seemingly glued to the wall, before sliding down forty feet of wall to the floor. Tsukiko jumped off her back before the second impact, ensuring that she wouldn't be trapped under Chihiro. Rolling to absorb the impact, she got up and canned the room for her charge. The guards that had formerly been on the rotation were carrying the picnic blanket toward her, Tama still sleeping inside. She motioned to them to lay Tama by the wall next to Chihiro and turned in concern to her partner.

_Ow_, thought Chihiro. No other words or thoughts would come. Her whole body hurt from nose to tail. Somewhere above her, she registered someone calling her name.

"Chihiro! Chi! Come on, open your eyes and _look at me!_"

_Tsuki_, Chihiro thought. She just wanted to lie down and not move, but Tsukiko was having none of it.

"Chihiro, don't you dare ignore me. If I don't see those beautiful violet eyes immediately, I swear I'll shave your mane off _right this minute!_"

Chihiro cracked her lids enough to see Tsukiko and for Tsukiko to see her irises. Tsukiko visibly relaxed, but only slightly.

"Are you very hurt?"

Chihiro gave a very small nod.

"What hurts?"

Chihiro just blinked wryly.

"Alright, what _doesn't_ hurt?"

Chihiro twitched the last foot or so of her tail. Tsukiko appeared to deflate.

"We can't take care of you like this, Chi. None of our healers are schooled in dragon physiology, you know that." Chihiro did know that. She had been living in the Den for a while after all, and never once had she been admitted to the infirmary in her dragon form. It had never been a problem before; she had a tendency to only get injured as a biped.

"You're going to have to change if we're going to treat you."

Chihiro looked up at her, incredulous. What if she made something worse?

"It's the only way, Chi. Change now, please! We have to carry you away from here before things get too crazy!"

Chihiro gave a groan that sounded more like a snarl in her draconic throat and readied herself for the change. It was different, changing when her entire body already felt terrible. It wasn't that the pain was any less than normal; it just didn't completely overwhelm her, distracted as she was. She felt a blanket drape over her to preserve the tiny scraps of modesty that were left to her and a dozen strong hands lifted her up onto a stretcher that had been laid alongside her. The stretcher was lifted up and Chihiro allowed herself to drift off to something that resembled sleep, her mind and body trying to escape the pain.

Tsukiko saw when Chihiro passed out and didn't attempt to wake her again. She couldn't do anything for her friend at the moment. In the meantime, she had a princess to look after and Kushi would undoubtedly want to know why they had put the Den on red alert.

* * *

The first rays of dawn streaming through the windows of the infirmary stirred Chihiro from dreams of flying and stars and the warmth of another's hand clutched in her own. She became more aware of her surroundings, namely the presence of a very large bed, rather fluffy pillows, and the sharp smell of medicine and bleach. As memories of recent events came trickling back to her, she tried to retreat back into her dreams, expecting to feel pain at any moment. But when minutes passed, her mind became fully aware, and no pain arose to incapacitate her, she began examining her body and assessing the damage. She found that her body was very stiff, bandages covered her chest and stomach, and fading green bruises colored her arms and legs.

It was the apparent age of the bruises that caused her some surprise. How long had she been out?

Hearing her movement, a nurse came in to check on her. She smiled warmly at Chihiro and gently pushed her from her sitting position back into the thick pillows.

"Good morning," she said softly, so as to not wake the other patients. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great, but not terrible," said Chihiro. "How bad were my injuries?" The nurse winced in sympathy.

"Rather severe. You fractured a number of ribs, dislocated your shoulder and hip, bruised most of the rest of your bones, and had some serious internal bleeding. But as painful as I'm sure it was for you, Tsukiko got you to us quickly enough that your injuries weren't life threatening. You should be on your feet in another day or two, although I wouldn't recommend anything to strenuous until your ribs have completely healed." Chihiro allowed some small sense of relief to wash over her before asking her second question.

"And how long have I been here?" The nurse smiled encouragingly, trying to ensure that the news brought as little stress to her patient as possible.

"Only about four days."

"That's odd," said Chihiro. "Normally my bruises take at least a week to fade." The nurse looked surprised for a second, then smiled again, though it looked easier this time around.

"Well, maybe something's different."

"Maybe," Chihiro replied. Something was wrong, off, not like it should be. What was it? Something occurred to her . . .

"Why am I in human form? Shouldn't I have changed by now?"

"Indeed, you did. You've been in your dragon form since you changed your first night here." That explained why the bed was so huge. "You probably don't remember, but you seemed to wake a little about an hour ago and changed into this form. I changed your bandages and have been checking on you more often, as I thought it was an indication you might truly wake soon. Are you hungry?" Boy was she ever. She told the nurse as much and the nurse went off to get her some breakfast. In the meantime, Chihiro leaned back and looked around the room. Something still seemed weird, but she couldn't quite place it, her mind was still a tad fuzzy. Then it came to her: everyone here was sick or had minor, everyday injuries. If there had been a battle, where were the fallen warriors? Not that she wanted anyone hurt, but it seemed impossible that she would be the only one who had been injured in the conflict.

The nurse returned with a tray carrying a bowl of hearty stew, a slice of seed-laden bread, and a steaming mug of herbal tea. Apparently, the damage to her internal organs wasn't severe enough to merit a diet of water, broth, and juice. Which was good, Chihiro didn't have the patience for such things. In between bites she interrogated the nurse further.

"What was the outcome of the conflict with the hyenas and crows?"

"Actually, once you three were safe inside the Den walls, there wasn't much conflict to speak of. They chased you until the doors shut behind you, stopped, and then quietly retreated. It was a rather strange sight, I'm told." Chihiro thought it must have been. Two armies slinking away without so much as a show of force wasn't something one often saw.

"How are Tama and Tsukiko? Do you know?"

"I do know. They're hale and healthy and ask after you frequently. Tama was in here most of the day yesterday, holding your paw and stroking it, thanking you for saving her. We made her go back to her room in the evening so she could get her rest." Chihiro gave a small smile.

"Of course I saved her. It's my duty and she's a very dear friend."

"That's what Tsukiko was saying. She had every confidence in your complete recovery, by the way. But it seems that Tama didn't really understand until now that her bodyguards aren't invincible and that they might be injured while protecting her."

"Then this is a good time for her to learn." Maybe Tama would be more careful out of worry for Chihiro and Tsukiko's wellbeing, since she seemed to completely disregard her own.

"I suppose so. But for now, you need to rest more. Sleeping would be especially beneficial. Your friends will probably be here in another hour or two though."

"I imagine so. I do think I'll try to nap until then." Chihiro was feeling drowsy again, and the bed was so very comfortable.

"Good. I'll be checking on you every once in a while, but don't be afraid to call if you need something."

"I will. Um . . . what was your name?" Chihiro asked sheepishly. The nurse chuckled.

"Yukie."

"Thank you, Yukie," sighed Chihiro as she dropped back off to sleep.

"You're welcome, Chihiro."

* * *

Maybe it was posttraumatic stress disorder, maybe it was paranoia, but once Chihiro was on her feet again she couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness and wrongness that had plagued her since she first woke up in the hospital. But there didn't seem to be any reason for it at all. Even Tsukiko thought that it had probably been brought on by their recent "adventure" and recommended that Chihiro take another few days off before resuming her duties. Kushi, who had been grateful almost beyond words to Chihiro for her obvious devotion and commitment to Tama's safety, increased her wages and gave her two weeks paid leave. But as soon as it didn't hurt to swing her naginata, Chihiro was back in uniform, no matter what anyone else said.

"I wish you would take better care of yourself, Chihiro," Tama whispered to her that night as Tsukiko napped. "You could have died."

Chihiro, being in dragon form, hummed quietly and gently nuzzled her friend's face, trying to exude reassurance. But Tama was not so easily pacified and she rolled away from the furry dragon muzzle, curling up into a ball beneath her covers. Chihiro sighed and turned away, withdrawing from the room and curling up on the balcony. She lay there watching the stars and almost missed it: the nearly imperceptible sound of a slipper brushing against bark. And it was close. Way too close. Without time to change, Chihiro remained in her relaxed position, feigning sleep as the intruder crept closer.

He climbed down from the higher branches and scaled the wall as he made his way to Tama's room. Chihiro waited until he dropped silently to the floor of the balcony before uncurling and making a snatch for him. But he was fast. He was halfway across the room before Chihiro pounced on him, paying no attention to the damage she was inflicting on Tama's furniture. He twisted away, pulling a small knife from somewhere in his clothes before Chihiro tripped him up with her tail. She didn't give a second thought to it, she simply plunged the claws of her front paw into his belly and ripped out his guts. He lay there, coughing, gagging on his own blood and gasping in shock and pain. His hands shook as he tried to raise his knife to inflict at least some damage on his killer. Recognizing a threat to her own life, the knife could easily be poisoned, Chihiro leaned forward and bit his head, crushing in his skull and ending him for good.

She tried to not allow herself to think about what had just happened; she didn't know if she could handle it, but the warm blood on her fur and in her mouth made it hard to detach herself from the situation and she felt herself slipping.

The ruckus had awoken Tsukiko, but she hadn't been able to safely get close enough to help. Besides, Chihiro hadn't needed any help. She approached her dragon friend and rested a hand on her shoulder. She could feel her friend trembling and knew that she could easily be going into shock.

"Chihiro," she said gently, "if it helps, think about another day. A happier day. Don't think about anything having to do with today or here or now. Just for a little while, let yourself float away. Let yourself remember the happiest day of your life." Chihiro slowly stopped trembling as she mentally escaped from what she had done. Tsukiko had some idea of what Chihiro was thinking about, probably something to do with that dragon friend of hers. It always perplexed Tsukiko that Chihiro would never tell anyone his name or where he was from, like she didn't want to be associated or connected with him. It made very little sense to Tsukiko as even a moron could see that Chihiro was in love with this "friend".

_Oh well_, she thought. _As long as she can think about something else for a while._

She went to the hall and called for guards to come and dispose of the body, which turned out to be a _Trimeresurus okinavensis_, a himehabu snake. She herself took a terrified Tama to her father's rooms, hoping that she wouldn't have nightmares if she was with him. Kushi himself had a battalion of guards that stood at his doors and balconies in shifts, so she didn't feel any need to worry about her charge's safety for a few hours. Chihiro needed her more right now and she knew Kushi would understand. On her way back to the room, she went to the laundry and got a bucket of hot water and some clean towels. She also got two janitors out of bed to clean up Chihiro's mess.

Chihiro had barely moved from where she had left her on the balcony, away from the pool of blood. Every once in a while, she let out a sigh that sounded very . . . Tsukiko decided the right word was _wistful_. Like she was thinking about something, or someone, that she could never have. Which was perhaps the case. Trying to be all business, Tsukiko sat next to Chihiro and cleaned the drying snake blood and guts off her claws and maw. After a while, Chihiro started to come back to herself and started trembling again. This time, Tsukiko didn't try to distract her. She needed to face it as soon as possible for her own mental wellbeing.

Chihiro whimpered piteously and tears streamed down her cheeks. Tsukiko wished that Chihiro were able to take human form so she could talk with her properly if she needed to. But even if she had ten minutes of time as a human left to her tonight, Tsukiko didn't think Chihiro would be able to pull herself together enough to make the magic work. So she just made sure her washing of Chihiro's matted fur was gentle and tried to be encouraging.

"We all remember the first time. I don't know anyone who didn't find it horrible, especially how physically easy it is. It helps to think of the consequences if you hadn't done it. Think of Tama. Think of that boy you're in love with and tell me, if you needed to would you kill again for them?"

Chihiro bowed her head and seemed to struggle with herself for a while before slowly nodding.

"It's not an easy decision to make, and it might not even be the right one, but the fact remains that when our friends and loved ones are in danger, many of us would remove the threat without a second thought." She looked directly into Chihiro's eyes. "Don't ever forget tonight Chihiro, never forget the gravity and pain that comes with taking another's life. That way, you will only do it if, like tonight, you are left with no other choice. Because tonight, you had no choice. And there will probably come another day when you will not have a choice. But don't let that stop you from doing your duty. And don't let your duty stop you from grieving them."

Chihiro, still crying, rested her head in Tsukiko's lap, Tsukiko stroked her fur, humming a lullaby she had once heard long ago, and Chihiro drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

There was no funeral service held for the assassin. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, so they could not give his body back to his people. So it was decided that they would show the dead respect, cremate him like they did their own deceased, and scatter his ashes to the wind. The undertaker carried out his work in complete solitude, no one caring about the snake, who they thought had it coming for trying to kill their princess. Before the fire was lit though, Chihiro came and stood by his body, covered with a sheet. For a while, she was silent. Then, she put her hand lightly on his arm and whispered,

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

After the fiftieth person thanked her for killing that horrible snake, Chihiro decided she had had enough. She went straight to Kushi, not caring that he was in a meeting with the leaders of the hawks and the wolf pack, and respectfully asked for the day off.

"Absolutely. Take as much time as you need. Have some time to yourself to recuperate. Do you want to borrow a room for some privacy?"

"No sir, I intend to fly until I can't fly anymore. Then I will land until I'm strong enough to fly again." Kushi gazed at her over his glasses in concern, but nodded his permission.

"I will notify Tsukiko, since I assume you wish to go immediately."

"Yes sir. May I use your balcony?"

"If you are comfortable with that, then yes," he said after only a brief hesitation.

"Thank you sir," said Chihiro as she strode to the balcony, untying her tunic as she went. When she got to the balcony, she pulled the drapes shut behind her.

"What was that about, Kushi?" asked the hawk lord, Masaru.

"Oh, she is one of my daughter's bodyguards. She's had a really rough time this past week or so. I'd be a fool not to give her time off."

"Such disrespect though," said Katsu, the wolf lord. "Why does she walk around your rooms as if they were her own?"

"Actually, if you were paying attention, she asked permission to use my balcony, which is neither presumptuous nor disrespectful," said Kushi, peeved. "But enough about my very capable staff, for whom I would bend over backwards to keep happy enough to remain in my service. Where were we?"

* * *

Kohaku was beginning to think that his entire life consisted of long lines of print that held white lies, loopholes, and traps for him to maneuver. He welcomed the rising of the sun, since it meant that his workday was officially over. He didn't care in the least at the moment that he was enormously behind in his records for the week, he needed a break. He needed to fly, to set himself free, if only for a little while.

As he made his way to his window, someone began banging on his office door. Since it was long past business hours, he had an idea of who it was. A shrill voice calling from the other side of the door proved his suspicions correct. He slipped out of the room as quietly as he could, transformed, and took off without giving his visitor any acknowledgement.

"Kohaku!" he heard Rin shout when it became clear that he was not going to answer the door. "I am NOT going to let this go! Train me how to be your assistant already!"

_Hmph. Fat chance._ As if he didn't have enough to do already. He didn't need to be spending twelve hours a day looking over her shoulder and making sure she did everything correctly. Likewise, her peering over his shoulder for instruction would hinder his ability to concentrate on his work. It was far better if he simply did it himself.

The sun gleamed bright pink as it rose. For now, he could watch it without blinding himself, though that would soon change. The feathery clouds in the periwinkle sky seemed like painted brushstrokes, their hues alternating between saturated pink and golden light. The spring morning air was crisp and cool. He could smell newly opened flowers and the heavy, earthy scent of oncoming rainstorms on the winds. That would be good; they hadn't had very much rainfall in recent days. It couldn't be called a drought, but the grass was far browner than anyone was used too. Rain would be welcome. He especially was looking forward to it; being a river spirit, he had plenty of good memories associated with a good storm. Including one that involved a little five-year-old girl and her pink shoe . . .

* * *

_She had been playing all afternoon by his banks. He watched in the shallows as the sun made its journey from one side of the sky to the other before the dark clouds obscured its light. The rain didn't bother the little girl, who didn't stop her games, even as her clothes clung to her body and the wind tangled her hair into impossible knots. She had taken off her shoes and was holding one in each hand as she kicked up the water in waves, giggling all the while. Fish fled her rampage, but none were really concerned about the small human. They didn't cause problems until they got big._

_Kohaku smiled to himself. She was so happy, just playing in his river. It kind of tickled oddly enough. But as the rain started coming down more heavily, he realized that she would be leaving soon. Well, he supposed she would be safer inside. As he was thinking this, he heard the child's mother calling for her. She heard as well and started putting on her shoes, right there in the shallows, thus defeating the purpose of carrying them in the first place. It was very cute to watch. But she couldn't put them on using only one hand, so she put the right one down as she pulled on the left one. As Kohaku watched, the river carried the shoe out to deeper and stronger waters. Oh well. Her mother could always get her another pair of shoes._

_Chihiro also saw the shoe escaping. She desperately went after it, nearly losing the other shoe as she lost her footing. She tried to stand up, but the water washed over her and pushed her down into the riverbed. She got her head above water for a moment and took a breath before being shoved under again and she felt herself drifting downstream and away from the shores._

_Kohaku watched, a worried frown crossing his brow. Couldn't the child swim? As she struggled, he thought it was entirely possible that she couldn't. And if she didn't get back to the banks soon, there were some small, but rather nasty rapids downstream that would definitely injure her, if not kill her. Her head bobbed once above the river before going under. When she didn't come back up, Kohaku didn't wait a second longer. He had already, perhaps, waited too long. He flung himself into the currents, using them, rather than fighting them. The girl was rolling and bobbing and being shoved against the rocks by the water, but by now, she wasn't struggling anymore. His heart almost stopped in his chest, but he still maneuvered his body under hers and rose to the surface, praying that she would breathe if she were out of the water._

_She did. She sucked in a tremendous breath and coughed briefly before grabbing hold of his horns. It was a strange sensation, having her little hands clutching him, but being unable to actually feel her hands. Instead, he could only feel a slight resistance if he turned sharply when she didn't expect it. Glancing to the side, he saw a flash of pink and snagged her lost shoe in his paw._

_He swam close to the surface, dodging rocks as he went, looking for one of the quiet inlets that dotted the banks in which to deposit her. He found one and swam right up to the banks before leaning to the side and tipping her off his back. She rolled in the mud, stood up, and rushed at him. He shrank back slightly, but before he could swim away, she had grabbed his muzzle in her arms and was rubbing her face against his. He vaguely wondered if she was aware that she was kissing him, a thought that became irrelevant when she planted a human kiss on his forehead. She looked at him happily, gave him another tight hug, and then ran off towards her home. _

_She got about ten feet away before she turned back to him, waved, and called out._

"_Thank you!"_

_Shouts for "Chihiro!" called her away and Kohaku hummed contentedly to himself._

_You're welcome, Chihiro._

_That had been the last time he had seen her before his home was destroyed.

* * *

_

Kohaku shook his head violently. He wasn't sure if he could consider that a good memory or not, she had almost drowned and now the memory caused him pain. He desperately tried to think of something else, but the rain smell was potent and filled his nostrils, rendering him unable to ignore it. He searched his memories for another, happier time that he could distract himself with, but before he could lose himself in nostalgia, he glimpsed a cream-colored streak some distance ahead of him.

_Could it be?_

No, it couldn't. But what if it was? Was it? He didn't know, but it was clearly a dragon. And he hadn't seen another dragon of that shade in years. Without another thought, he gave chase. As he drew nearer, the dragon suddenly twisted and veered off in a completely different direction. Her fruity, earthy, female scent smacked him in the face as he followed her on the winds and he put more effort into catching up to her. She was definitely the same dragon he had seen that day. Why was she running from him? Should he stop? But he wanted to know her identity! Desire overcame restraint and he strove to shrink the distance between them.

But this dragon, it seemed, did not want to be caught up to under any circumstances. She dived into a particularly think grove of trees and Kohaku glided right over the site before he realized what had happened. Having lost her, he finally came to his senses and decided to give her space. It was likely that she thought he was chasing her out of his territory. Not that he was, but he had given no signs to prove to her otherwise. He would peacefully withdraw for now and maybe one day he would meet her again under less awkward circumstances.

With one parting glance at the trees she had disappeared into, Kohaku flew back to Aburaya. His flight had done more to confuse and agitate him than relax him. He needed some real rest that could only come with sleep.

* * *

Hidden in the undergrowth in her human form, naked, shivering from the morning chill and her sprint for cover, Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and sadness. He had been right there! All she had to do was let him catch up to her! But she couldn't. She didn't dare. What would he think of her if he saw her as she was, cursed and stuck in the spirit world in spite of everything he had done to get her home? He would surely hate her. And even if he didn't he would be disappointed, which would be even worse to see. She couldn't face him yet. She didn't know if she would ever be able to face him.

But oh, how she longed to see him again.

She shook herself and tried to pull herself together. She had a duty to perform back at the Den, she couldn't just go off somewhere whenever she felt like it. What was she doing _this_ for, anyway? She had just wanted time alone, but now it seemed pointless. She was more upset now than she had been when she had left, however many hours ago. She had not paid attention to the time of day or night, instead focusing on flying and forgetting.

It had not helped. She remembered her first kill as clearly as if she had committed it seconds before. And now, she had seen her childhood love again for the first time in over five years. Her time off was proving to be more of a punishment than a reward.

She rose to her feet, shaking, changed back into a dragon, and took to the air again. It was time to go back to the Den. She couldn't quite call it home, but it was at least a place where her body would be able to rest, if not her mind.

She gazed out at the horizon, where a silver streak was fading away to nothing. She wanted and didn't want to follow, to tackle him in joy, to cling to him and weep. But fear kept her away. Instead, she turned away and flew in the opposite direction. As she caught the currents, she thought absently to herself that he had managed to keep his promise to her, even if he didn't know it. They had met again. But it wasn't enough for her, not by a long shot. She had grown used to feeling something missing, but for just a moment that space had been filled again. Now that he was gone again, the emptiness was back again in full force, fresh and aching and worse than before.

She promised herself, gliding on the winds toward her friends and away from her love, that they would meet again. And when they did, this time she would not run away.

**

* * *

A/N2: So, quick question. Would you guys prefer shorter chapters more frequently, or longer chapters that I deem more complete? Just wondering. Also, I put my Twitter name on my profile. I frequently talk about my failed attempts to write and I announce to the world when I'm done with a chapter. Also, I know it was a pretty heavy chapter, but I needed Chihiro to go through this at some point. The next chapter will be made of lighter stuff. Review, please? Thanks!**


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